Jun 18, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena (3) reacts after hitting a single against the Athletics in the seventh inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Astros Star Shortstop Battling Crowded Field for All Star Game Roster Spot

Originally posted on Houston Astros on SI | By Jacob Moss | Last updated Jun 21, 2025 2:00 PM ET

The Houston Astros have found their way back to the top of the American League west yet again in 2025, and they've done so with a roster that looks very different from ones in years past.

Several key players from the Astros' run of dominance over the past decade landed in new homes, and a slew of injuries has forced the team to implement a revolving door of replacements both in the outfield and on the mound.

Despite all this turmoil, though, Houston has maintained their elite standard of play, and a large part of their success has to be credited to the stellar play of shortstop Jeremy Peña.

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The former World Series MVP is currently in the middle of the best regular season campaign of his career, and has become arguably the best shortstop in all of baseball.

As of this writing, Peña owns an elite .322/.377/.473 slash line to go along with nine homers and 37 RBIs. Combined with his stellar play defensively, Peña has accumulated 4.4 bWAR, which ranks behind only Aaron Judge and his absurd 5.3 mark among AL players.

All of this would seem to point towards the 27-year-old being a lock to make his first ever All Star game. According to The Athletic's Chandler Rome (subscription required), however, things might not so cut and dry.

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Jeremy Peña is a surefire All-Star, but if he isn't elected to start, it's worth looking at the crowded field of American League shortstops he's battling against. Twenty-seven AL players entered Thursday with at least 2.0 bWAR. Seven are shortstops - https://t.co/nh8sfv2EBv
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) June 20, 2025

Per Rome, there is a very crowded field of contenders all vying for the honor of starting for the AL in July. This, combined with an MLB rule that stipulates each club must have at least one player represented at the All Star game, means Peña's case isn't based on merit alone.

"Major-league rules dictate that each club must have at least one representative in Atlanta," Rome writes. "At least two shortstops, (Jacob) Wilson and the Los Angeles Angels’ (Zach) Neto, are logical candidates to be the representatives for their team in Atlanta. If (Bobby) Witt isn’t elected to start the game, it’s difficult to envision any scenario in which he is omitted from the roster."

This is where things have become a bit of a logjam for Peña, as despite his stellar play, he trails both Wilson and Witt in the initial round of fan voting.

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This means that Peña's inclusion in this year's All Star Game will likely come down to being selected as a reserve by the players. Given the aforementioned rule that stipulates that each team must be represented, and the crowded field all vying for a spot means that Peña inclusion is far from guaranteed.

It's seems very unlikely that MLB decides to exclude a top three bWAR player in all of baseball, however, so it will be interesting to see how things end up shaking out when it's all said and done.

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This article first appeared on Houston Astros on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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