The Houston Astros will sit Jeremy Peña on the bench Friday night as they take on the Oakland Athletics. Mauricio Dubon will take his place at shortstop as second baseman Jose Altuve returns to the lineup after dealing with an illness.
It begs the question: Why bench Peña?
After a hot rookie campaign in which he won a Gold Glove for his defensive performance at shortstop and the 2022 World Series MVP, Peña has struggled during his second year.
The sophomore shortstop has slashed .242/.286/.405 and holds an 89 OPS+ (MLB average is 100).
It's a decline from his 2022 performance and his defense, just a year removed from his Gold Glove award, has been oddly inconsistent at times as well.
For many young players, the league will catch up to them, learn how to pitch to them and it can be frustrating for players when this occurs. Perhaps Peña's performance this season is a byproduct of just that.
That frustration can lead players to push more, force things and that mentality, at times, can lead to underperforming and mistakes.
Of course this is speculation, but Peña is a talented enough player he can overcome this, if this is truly the case.
Additionally, Dubon has been incredible this season and needs to be worked into the lineup. Giving Peña a breather while inserting Dubon into the lineup could be a case of killing two birds with one stone.
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