Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena. Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Astros place SS Jeremy Pena on 10-day IL with thumb discomfort

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 6/15/22

Perhaps lost in the shuffle of impressive-looking MLB rookies entering the 2022 season was Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena. The 2018 third-round pick has played in 54 of the team's first 62 games this year and in a lineup full of stars, is currently second on the club in stolen bases (six), third in hits (53) and tied for third in batting average (.277) while ranking inside the top-five in a host of other categories.

Arguably Pena's most impressive figure are his 2.9 wins above replacement (WAR), which ranks not only second on the Astros, but tied for 11th in all of baseball.

The 24-year-old missed Houston's 4-3 win over the Texas Rangers on Tuesday with what was first called a wrist injury. On Wednesday morning, general manager James Click provided some clarity.

Astros general manager James Click said on @SportsTalk790 that the “initial read” is nothing severe on Jeremy Peña’s thumb. So it’s a left thumb injury. Click said they’ll know more this morning because Peña’s flight was delayed last night, so it pushed the testing back.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) June 15, 2022

While "severe" can be somewhat subjective and we can't be certain what Click's definition was, we got further clarity a bit later on Wednesday morning when Pena was placed on the 10-day injured list with what is being called "thumb discomfort."

Houston #Astros prized rookie shortstop Jeremy Pena goes on the 10-day IL with thumb discomfort.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) June 15, 2022

"Thumb discomfort" and a 10-day IL designation don't sound particularly concerning, but it's still a less than ideal situation for the Astros and Pena.

The AL West-leading Astros (38-24) come into play Wednesday with an 8 1/2 game lead over the second-place Rangers.

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