Jeremy Peña DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

The Houston Chronicle's Matt Kawahara writes that Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena has been working on his plate discipline leading into the 2025 season and lowering his chase rate. In 1,842 regular-season plate appearances in his three years in the big leagues with Houston, Pena has only walked 90 times compared to 375 strikeouts in 443 games. He has still managed to be a productive shortstop for fantasy managers because of the volume, but he hasn't really been able to improve on his rookie season in 2022 in which he hit 22 home runs in 136 games. The 27-year-old Dominican did have a career-high 20 stolen bases last year and also cut down on his strikeout rate. If he's able to work more walks in 2025, he could give fantasy managers more help in the batting-average department. But with minimal power at the 6, Pena is ranked as the No. 19 fantasy shortstop at RotoBaller.

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena and outfielder Jason Heyward will both start on the bench for Friday's series opener in Cleveland against the Guardians at Progressive Field. Grae Kessinger is starting at the 6 and batting ninth, while Mauricio Dubon is in left field and batting eighth against Guardians rookie left-hander Joey Cantillo. Pena doesn't sit often, as this is his first day off since Aug. 22. Kessinger made his big-league debut last year and played in 26 games, hitting .200 (8-for-40) with a homer and an RBI. He's only played in 20 games in 2024 and has gone hitless in 17 plate appearances with one walk and five strikeouts. DFS gamers should ignore him on Friday. Dubon, a super-utility man for the Astros, has very little DFS sleeper appeal at the bottom of the order with just four home runs and 47 RBI in 394 at-bats in 2024.

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena will get the day off on Thursday in the series opener against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. Mauricio Dubon will start at shortstop for the Astros and will hit ninth against Orioles right-hander Corbin Burnes. In five career at-bats against Burnes, Dubon is hitting .200 with a home run and two RBI. He won't be a recommended DFS play on Thursday, though, in the tough matchup while residing at the bottom of the batting order. Pena has earned a much-needed day of rest, as this will be his first day off since June 21 and only his third day off of the season. The 26-year-old shortstop has been solid in the month of August for the first-place 'Stros, hitting .286 (20-for-70) with three home runs, three doubles, three stolen bases and nine RBI in 18 games played. He should be back in there on Friday.