Astros activate Jeremy Peña from injured list ahead of May 22 game at Wrigley

Jeremy Peña is back on Houston’s active roster in time for the Astros’ May 22 opener against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The move returns the Astros’ starting shortstop after more than a month on the injured list and gives Houston another regular infielder as it begins a three-game road series in Chicago. MLB.com’s Astros transactions page listed Peña as active this week, and outside reports tied his return to a broader set of roster moves made as Houston continued to manage injuries across the roster. Peña had been sidelined since April 13, when Houston placed him on the 10-day injured list with a Grade 1 right hamstring strain. Astros manager Joe Espada and club updates had since tracked his progress through a rehab assignment, including a brief setback when Peña missed a scheduled game for Double-A Corpus Christi on May 13 because of a sore neck after a collision. ### How long had Jeremy Peña been out? (mlb.com) April 13 was the date Houston sent Peña to the injured list after he exited a game with tightness behind his right knee. MLB.com reported at the time that Peña said he did not have a timetable for his return and wanted to make sure he was fully recovered before coming back. May 13 brought a smaller scare during his rehab work. Peña had started a rehab assignment at shortstop for Corpus Christi, then sat the next day after a collision left his neck sore and after he was hit on the forearm by a pitch. (mlb.com) Espada said then, “Hopefully we can get him in there tomorrow.” ### What does Houston get back in Peña? Peña returns as Houston’s regular shortstop and one of the club’s most established everyday infielders. (mlb.com) He won an American League Gold Glove at shortstop in 2023, and his return gives the Astros another option in a lineup that has been hit by injuries at multiple spots over the opening weeks of the season. (mlb.com) Sports Illustrated’s Astros report said Peña was activated as part of moves that also corresponded with Jose Altuve going on the injured list. That report said Peña had appeared in 10 major league games before the hamstring injury and described his activation as an immediate reinforcement for Houston’s infield. ### Why does the timing matter before the Cubs series? (si.com) May 22 is the start of Houston’s three-game series at Wrigley Field, and Peña’s activation gives the Astros another healthy regular as they open that set. ESPN’s game page listed Houston at Chicago on May 22 at Wrigley and still showed Peña on the injury report before the roster update cycle caught up. The series comes at a point when Houston has been trying to stabilize a roster that has also dealt with injuries to pitchers and position players. (si.com) MLB.com’s Astros injury page, updated May 21, listed multiple regulars and pitchers still working back, including Josh Hader, Yainer Diaz and Lance McCullers Jr. ### What was Peña’s path back to the majors? Corpus Christi was the key stop in Peña’s return. (africa.espn.com) MLB.com reported that he made his first rehab start there on May 12, batting leadoff and playing shortstop before Houston slowed him briefly because of the neck soreness from the collision. May 22 now puts Peña back in the majors as Houston begins its weekend series in Chicago. The Astros and Cubs are scheduled to continue the set through May 24 at Wrigley Field, with Peña available again for infield duty as Houston resets its roster for the road trip. (mlb.com) (africa.espn.com) (mlb.com)