Astros place Peña on IL with calf strain, hopeful for minimum stint
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HOUSTON -- Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña remains optimistic he will be able to return to action around the time his 10-day stint on the injured list is up. Peña was placed on the IL prior to Tuesday’s game against the Twins at Daikin Park with a left calf strain, an injury he said he’s been playing through for more than a week.
“I think it’s something that can be pretty short term,” Peña said. “I don’t want to put a date on it, obviously, but I think this could be a minimal [time missed] type thing.”
Infielder Raynel Delgado was recalled from Triple-A Sugar Land and will split time at shortstop with Nick Allen, who was activated off the 10-day IL on Monday. Astros manager Joe Espada said he expects the injury won’t keep Peña sidelined for long.
“Hopefully after [Thursday’s] off-day we can get him running around and see how good he feels,” he said. “I still feel strong it’s the minimal time.”
Peña said he had been playing through pain in his calf for about a week or week and a half and it gradually had gotten worse. He felt it was time to address it with the trainers.
“That’s what we did,” he said. “Grateful that it’s nothing severe and hoping it’s the minimum days and get back on the field and join the guys.”
This is Peña’s second IL stint of the season after he missed over a month with a Grade 1 right hamstring strain. The star shortstop keeps himself in a peak condition and chalks up the injuries to the ebbs and flows of a season.
“I feel like I’ve been doing a great job with my preparation before the games,” he said. “I feel like I’ve been doing a great job with taking care of my body. It’s just part of the game sometimes. I think things happen. I can’t really pinpoint one thing.”
Peña is slashing .295/.356/.443 this year, including .307/.372/.471 with six homers and 21 RBIs in 38 games since coming off the injured list May 18. The Astros are 23-15 in those 38 games and 26-22 in games in which Peña plays this season.
“There’s a lot of season left,” he said. “I’ll get back healthy and join the guys and pick back up. We have a long season to go and we’re playing well.”