Jeremy Peña will not play in the 2026 World Baseball Classic—and his status for Opening Day remains unclear.
The Houston Astros shortstop, who fractured the tip of his right ring finger Wednesday during a Dominican Republic exhibition game, rejoined the club in West Palm Beach on Friday and addressed the media for the first time since the injury.
“The goal is to try to be ready for Opening Day,” Peña said. “I don’t know how it’s going to heal. I don’t know what the process is going to be like. But the goal is always to try to join the team for Opening Day.”
Peña is wearing a splint on the injured finger and will continue strength and conditioning work along with limited baseball activities. Manager Joe Espada said Peña fielded ground balls Friday, without throwing, and can take one-handed swings. Full clarity on his timeline may not come until he is cleared to swing normally and build back up to facing live pitching.
“It’s just once the finger heals, seeing how many at-bats he needs and how the finger feels,” Espada said. “We’ll see where he’s at once he gets back to full swing mode.”
General manager Dana Brown said it is “too early to tell right now” whether Peña will be ready for the March 26 opener against the Los Angeles Angels at Daikin Park, adding that a reevaluation in two weeks “will give us a clearer picture.”
In the meantime, Carlos Correa, who was himself scratched from Friday’s Grapefruit League game with a stiff neck, will begin getting starts at shortstop once he returns and would be the first option to play there if Peña is unavailable. That would reopen third base for Isaac Paredes, who has worked at second, first and third base this spring and had been widely viewed as a trade candidate all winter.
Brown was candid about the silver lining. “That’s the value of not trading guys when you have a surplus,” he said. “Something happens, there’s going to be room for guys to get at-bats.”
