Astros Slugger Jeremy Pena Looking to Turn Around Major Late Season Slump

Jeremy Pena has become a tough watch over the last six weeks.

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena (3) Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jeremy Pena has entered a major slump for the Houston Astros. He compounded his slump on Sunday with a misplay in the field that cost the Astros four runs. With Pena hitting at the top of the lineup, the Astros need a late season turnaround for the shortstop.

Pena once had some of the best numbers of any shortstop in the league. He was hitting .322 on Aug. 2 with a .904 OPS. His OPS over this stretch ranked 12th in baseball and first among shortstops. We saw similar numbers last year also as he hit .304 with an .840 OPS.

Stretch Run Slump

Since Aug. 2, Pena has a .518 OPS including Sunday's 0-for-2 performance. He is hitting .170 with 49 strikeouts in 150 plate appearances. He accounted for -1.108 win probability added over this stretch coming into Sunday according to baseball reference. His on-base percentage has dipped to .220 with a .298 slugging.

September Slump

Pena’s hitting has taken another step back when you just isolate his September numbers. He’s recorded a .149 average in the month with a .391 OPS over 12 games. He has just two extra-base hits, both doubles over the course of September.

Defensive Output

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena (3) Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

On defense, Pena has gone from 1.3 dWAR or better every season in his first four years, to just 0.3 this season. On Sunday with two outs and runners on first and second, he maneuvered backward to make a routine catch in what was already a 3-0 Rays lead over the Astros. He flubbed the ball allowing one run to score. On the next at bat, the Rays removed all doubt in the game with a three-run homer, making Pena responsible for four unearned runs on Hayden Wesneski’s ledger.

Pena needs to find his stroke and defensive prowess in the final 12 games of the season. We’ve seen him have breakout performances before over short spans like the 2022 postseason or the first half of 2026. If the Astros can even get the Pena that hit around .261 with a .707 OPS in his first three seasons with stellar defense and a clutch bat, they would take that at this point.

We’ve seen what he is capable of with his 2025 and early 2026 numbers, so it’s even harder to stomach what we’ve seen for the last two months. The Astros offense puts Pena at the focal point in front of Yordan Alvarez, and they’ll need Pena to break out of his current slump to maintain their division lead and certainly to make a run in the American League Playoffs.