Astros All-Star SS Jeremy Peña's broken finger will keep him out of the World Baseball Classic

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Houston Astros All-Star shortstop Jeremy Peña will miss the World Baseball Classic with a broken right ring finger, the team announced on Thursday.

Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters at the team's spring training complex that Peña was being sent to a hand specialist for assessment of some damage to the nail area on the finger after fielding a hard groundball for the Dominican Republic national team during an exhibition game on Wednesday.

The Astros said later that Peña was diagnosed with a fracture in the tip of the finger and will be re-evaluated in two weeks. The Dominican Republic plays its first game of the WBC on Friday in Miami against Nicaragua, and the tournament championship game is on March 17.

“Jeremy left because he had an injury in the finger. The image was not clear enough,” Dominican Republic general manager Nelson Cruz said in Miami at the team's WBC workout Thursday. “Today we did an MRI. He went to a finger specialist, and he had a fracture in the finger. He’s going to be out for two weeks. So, we’ll have to make a replacement.”

Cruz didn't announce the replacement, other than saying the team hopes to have that person in place in time for Friday's WBC game.

“We have a great team. Jeremy was part of this team,” Dominican Republic manager Albert Pujols said. “We have been preparing ourselves. Unfortunately, he won’t be able to be with us. ... We are going to make the best possible decision.”

The Astros open the regular season on March 26 at home against the Los Angeles Angels, putting Peña's availability for opening day in question. The 28-year-old Peña is coming off a career-best season in 2025, when he made his first All-Star team and batted .304 with an .840 OPS and 20 stolen bases.

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