HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña returned to the lineup for Monday’s series opener against the Miami Marlins, while first baseman Christian Walker was out of the starting lineup for the second straight game.
Peña missed Sunday’s loss to Baltimore lineup after leaving Saturday’s loss to the Orioles in the fourth inning due to a right hamstring cramp.
Walker also left Saturday’s game in the fourth inning due to right hip tightness.
Astros manager Joe Espada said he believes Walker will return soon.
“He’s doing baseball activities right now,” Espada said. “He’s going to come out and do a full workout with us, so hopefully he’s able to come off the bench and help if we need him to (on Monday).”
Peña is batting .295 with six home runs and 22 RBIs this season. Two trips to the injury have limited him to just 53 games. He missed more than a month due to a right hamstring strain sustained April 11, and a left calf strain sidelined him earlier this month.
Walker is batting .234 with 20 home runs and 58 RBIs this season.
Houston made four roster moves before Monday’s game. Right-hander Ronel Blanco and left-hander Bennett Sousa were reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Left-hander Bryan King and infielder Raynel Delgado were optioned to Triple-A.
Blanco, starting Monday, returns 13 months after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He was 3-4 with a 4.10 ERA in nine starts last season before undergoing surgery in June. In his first full season as a starter in 2024, Blanco was 13-6 with a 2.80 ERA, second-best in the American League.
Sousa had been on the injured list since May 6 with left elbow inflammation. He has allowed three runs in 3 1/3 innings this season after posting a 2.84 ERA out of the Astros bullpen in 2025.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
