Why Are Houston Astros Benching Peña on Friday Against Athletics?

The Houston Astros will not play shortstop Jeremy Peña on Friday night against the Oakland Athletics as Mauricio Dubon will take his place.

Kade Kistner | May 26, 2023

Why Are Houston Astros Benching Peña on Friday Against Athletics? /

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The Houston Astros will sit Jeremy Peña on the bench Friday night as they take on the Oakland Athletics. Mauricio Dubon will take his place at shortstop as second baseman Jose Altuve returns to the lineup after dealing with an illness.

It begs the question: Why bench Peña?

After a hot rookie campaign in which he won a Gold Glove for his defensive performance at shortstop and the 2022 World Series MVP, Peña has struggled during his second year.

The sophomore shortstop has slashed .242/.286/.405 and holds an 89 OPS+ (MLB average is 100).

It's a decline from his 2022 performance and his defense, just a year removed from his Gold Glove award, has been oddly inconsistent at times as well.

For many young players, the league will catch up to them, learn how to pitch to them and it can be frustrating for players when this occurs. Perhaps Peña's performance this season is a byproduct of just that.

That frustration can lead players to push more, force things and that mentality, at times, can lead to underperforming and mistakes.

Of course this is speculation, but Peña is a talented enough player he can overcome this, if this is truly the case.

Additionally, Dubon has been incredible this season and needs to be worked into the lineup. Giving Peña a breather while inserting Dubon into the lineup could be a case of killing two birds with one stone.

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Published May 26, 2023

KADE KISTNER

Kade Kistner is the publisher and beat writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies. An alumnus of Tulane University, Kade graduated in 2017 with a degree in Latin American Studies and a minor in Spanish. Upon graduation, Kade commissioned into the United States Navy and attended Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Fl. He served as a Naval Aviator and was stationed in Jacksonville, Fl. During his time in school and the Navy, Kade began covering the MLB and NFL with USA Today, SB Nation, and Sports Illustrated. Kade covered the New Orleans Saints, Texas Rangers, and numerous other teams within the Sports Illustrated network before launching Inside the Phillies, Inside the Astros, and Inside the Cubs. You can follow him on Twitter at @KadeKistner, or if you have any questions or comments he can be reached via email at kwkistner@gmail.com.