Astros get great news on Jeremy Pena's return date from injury

Matt Sullivan

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Astros get great news on Jeremy Pena's return date from injury image

The Houston Astros have a laundry list of talented players on the injured list. But, with the trade deadline right around the corner, some of those injured players are nearing their returns. For All-Star shortstop Jeremy Pena, that return could be soon.

According to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, the Astros could see Pena return to the MLB lineup as early as Friday, August 1st, against the Boston Red Sox.

Pena is playing shortstop in Triple-A on Wednesday night, and could make his return to the Majors a few days later if all goes well. Houston bringing Pena back to the MLB roster would be a huge boost to the offense amid their rough July.

This season, aside from earning his first All-Star nod, Pena, in 82 games before he was placed on the injured list, had a .322 batting average with a .867 OPS.

He had 102 hits, 48 runs scored, 18 doubles, one triple, 11 home runs, 40 RBIs, 15 stolen bases, 20 walks, and 55 strikeouts through his first half of the season.

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His breakout offensive season was a huge reason why the Astros got off to such a strong start in 2025. But, since he's gone down with a rib injury, the Astros have struggled, as evidenced by their losing record in July. 

This season, Pena has a 140 OPS+, 38 percent better than his previous career high OPS+ of 102. His .867 OPS is also significantly higher than his previous career high of .715.

Combined with his great defense at shortstop, Pena was putting together an incredible season. But the injury to the 27-year-old put a pause to his breakout campaign, and had the Astros missing his bat dearly.

But, this report from McTaggart is a strong indication that the Astros will finally be getting Pena back in the lineup, with a return to the Majors potentially occurring as early as Friday, the first day of August.

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Matt Sullivan

Matt Sullivan is a freelance writer for The Sporting News, predominantly covering MLB. Matt is a native of Pennsylvania and has worked with Athlon Sports, Last Word on Sports, and other outlets.