Astros’ Jeremy Pena gives positive injury update after scary HBP

Jeremy Pena avoided a serious injury on Thursday night, giving the Houston Astros an encouraging sign at shortstop during a tight American League West race. Postgame X-rays on Pena’s left hand came back negative, according to league sources, after the star infielder was struck by a 96 mph Gerrit Cole fastball in the top of the third inning at Yankee Stadium.

The pitch caught Peña on the knuckles of his pinkie and ring finger, the kind of contact that often forces a hitter out of the lineup. Instead, he stayed in the game. He reached on the hit by pitch, came around to score Houston’s first run on Isaac Paredes’ single, then capped his night with a solo home run in the seventh inning off reliever Yerry De los Santos. It was his 16th long ball of the season.

The Astros will consider Pena day to day heading into Friday’s series opener against the New York Mets at Citi Field. There was no immediate indication that he would need a stint on the injured list, though Houston may weigh giving him a scheduled breather given his workload and injury history this season.

Pena has spent much of 2026 fighting to stay on the field. He fractured his right ring finger in March, missed roughly five weeks with a Grade 1 right hamstring strain, then landed on the injured list again in late June with a left calf strain.

Just over a week ago, he took a 100 mph pitch off his right hand against the Los Angeles Angels and briefly exited before X-rays came back clean there as well.

Even with the missed time, the 2022 World Series MVP and 2025 All-Star has been one of Houston’s most productive hitters. He entered the night batting .283 and now sits at 16 home runs, trailing only AL MVP contender Yordan Alvarez among Astros bats.

Houston beat the Yankees 5-1 to take two of three in the Bronx, pushing the Astros to 67-67 and a one-game lead over the Texas Rangers in the AL West with 28 games to play. Keeping Pena upright down the stretch may decide how that tight race ends.

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