Jeremy Pena's Struggles at Plate Hitting Astros Hard in Playoff Push

The Houston Astros shortstop has seen his number fall off of late and it could be the difference in making the postesason.

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

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena has struggled at plate since the beginning of August, leaving a gaping hole in the top of the order for the team. The Astros have had difficulty scoring runs in the last two games with Pena having some of the weakest at bats on the team over this stretch.

Sunday’s Showing

Pena struck out in a non-competitive at bat in what was the Astros second to last out of the game. He had expected batting averages of .070, .030 and .170 in his previous three at bats according to Baseball Savant. He did give the team a bit of a boost with a hit by pitch in the seventh inning but that didn’t amount to anything in the game after a Yordan infield pop-up.

Pena’s Pre-August Hot Streak

Houston Astros designated hitter Jeremy Pena (3) Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

At the end of July, Pena was hitting .317 with an impressive .879 OPS. He had hit 12 home runs in 246 at bats and was also racking up the doubles with 11. That .317 average ranked fifth in baseball among those with at least 250 plate appearances by the end of July.

Quick Start Before Slow August

Despite a slow month of August, Pena actually started hot in his first three games of the month. He hit 5-for-13 with a double, triple and a home run across the three games against the Rangers and Blue Jays.

Cold Stretch

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

Since that point Pena has been one of the worst hitters in the league. He is hitting .158 since Aug. 4, month-long slump. He has just a .207 on-base percentage and a .298 slugging percentage which comes out to a .505 OPS over this period. He was striking out in 20.5% of at bats before this point but has been retired via the strikeout in 33.3% of at bats since then. He has cost the Astros a whole win in win probability added since Aug. 4 with -1.08 WPA over this stretch per Fangraphs. Pena’s batting average on balls in play has fallen to .203 which indicates a degree of bad luck but also a lot of soft contact.

We know how good Pena is when he’s playing at his best. We saw it all of last season and for the first four months of 2026. When and if the Astros will get back that Pena remains to be seen. A multi-homer game or game with all hard contact could spark a Pena revival, but until then Astros fans will have to watch and wait. They’ll be waiting as Pena eats up huge at bats as the leadoff hitter.