What Jeremy Pena’s Opening Day status means for Astros and Brice Matthews

The Houston Astros have plenty riding on the injury status of shortstop Jeremy Pena before Opening Day. Pena fractured his right ring finger early in a WBC exhibition game, which opened the door for an open spot on the Opening Day roster. However, there are no guarantees that the shortstop will miss the team’s first game, as his recovery has gone well. One player who is waiting on that decision is top prospect Brice Matthews, according to The Athletic’s Chandler Rome.

“If Peña is not ready for Opening Day, carrying [Joey] Loperfido, [Zach] Cole, and Matthews on the roster is easy,” Rome reported. “With Peña available, though, only two spots would seem open for those three players.”

Loperfido and Cole have the inside track on the roster as left-handed hitters, as the Astros are looking for them to add more versatility to the lineup. The problem is that Matthews outperformed both players in the Grapefruit League, slashing .257/.395/.429 in 35 at-bats with eight stolen bases, eight walks, and 12 strikeouts.

Matthews is an infielder by trade, but played some centerfield in AAA last season. Teams are trying more and more to add a utility player that can play all over the diamond, and Matthews would also fit that bill.

If Pena does miss the opening series, Matthews could force his hand by playing well in Jeremy Pena’s place at shortstop and then sticking around to steal a spot in the outfield once the everyday shortstop returns. Matthews should be itching to improve on his time in Houston after a bit of a disappointing debut in 2025.

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