Pena is out of the lineup for Friday's game against Minnesota, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

EDGE Analysis

Pena had started each of Houston's 57 games this season but will receive his first day off Friday amid a 1-for-16 slump. Mauricio Dubon will play shortstop and bat seventh Friday.

Pena went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Monday's 9-7 loss to the Angels.

EDGE Analysis

Pena is hitting .324 (23-for-71) over 19 games in May. It hasn't been a totally empty average -- he's picked up five extra-base hits, three steals, nine RBI and 14 runs scored. The shortstop is slashing .326/.365/.457 with seven steals, five homers, 20 RBI and 30 runs through 48 contests overall. He's in an everyday role and on pace for a 20-steal season, so there's a fair amount to like in Pena's game in his third major-league season.

Pena went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in a 9-4 loss to the Yankees on Wednesday.

EDGE Analysis

Pena had been in a small funk coming into the contest, going 2-for-14 over his previous four games. He bounced back Wednesday with his fourth three-hit performance of the campaign, which included his first long ball in May. Pena has been a pleasant surprise for Houston this season, slashing .326/.367/.464 with four homers, 14 RBI, 21 runs and five stolen bases through 147 plate appearances.

Pena went 1-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run and two runs scored Sunday against the Rockies.

EDGE Analysis

Pena had a productive weekend series in Mexico City, racking up a total of four runs scored in a pair of games. He also chipped in his third home run of the campaign Sunday, his first long ball since April 3. Pena has remained a subpar power contributor, though he also has four stolen bases and is hitting .321 across 115 plate appearances early this season.

Pena went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base in Saturday's 5-4 extra-inning loss to the Nationals.

EDGE Analysis

The shortstop stole his second bag in as many games as he continued his recent hot streak. Pena has six multi-hit performances in the last 11 games, batting .383 (18-for-47) over that stretch, and the surge has boosted his slash line on the season to .356/.385/.483 with two homers, four steals, 10 RBI and 11 runs.

Pena went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI, a run scored and a stolen base Friday against the Nationals.

EDGE Analysis

Pena delivered an RBI double in the second inning and scored in the same frame. He also chipped in his third stolen base of the season after singling in the fifth frame. Pena has at least one hit in 11 of his last 12 games, and he's gone 18-for-51 with three RBI and seven runs scored.

Pena went 1-for-4 with a stolen base Sunday against the Rangers.

EDGE Analysis

Pena has had a strong start to the season, posting three extra-base hits -- including two homers -- across his first 38 plate appearances. He added his first stolen base of the campaign Sunday after being caught on his initial attempt March 31. Pena was successful on the basepaths only 13 times on 22 attempts in 2023, but it appears he still has the green light.

Pena went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional RBI in an 8-0 victory versus Toronto on Wednesday.

EDGE Analysis

Pena knocked an RBI single in the fifth inning, then went deep with a two-run blast in the seventh. The long ball was the second across the shortstop's past three games, and he's knocked in six runs over that stretch. Pena has four multi-hit games on the campaign and is slashing .400/.444/.680 through 27 plate appearances.

Pena went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, three RBI and a walk Monday against the Blue Jays.

EDGE Analysis

Pena was one of three Astros to go deep and accounted for one of five long balls for the team. The hit ended a 77-game home-run drought, as he had failed to clear the fences since July 5. Pena worked on a new stance throughout the offseason in an effort to tap into more power, though he has only a .067 ISO in a very limited sample of 16 plate appearances to begin the new campaign.

Pena overhauled his batting stance during the offseason, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Pena was nearly exactly a league-average hitter in 2023, but he posted just a .118 ISO across 634 plate appearances. To unlock more power in 2024, he reworked his stance to minimize movement while focusing on driving balls to all areas of the field. Manager Joe Espada has noted early in spring training that Pena looks more athletic and comfortable in the box while lifting the ball more. The latter will be a key to his potential jump in home runs, as he has only a 29.5 flyball percentage across 1,192 career plate appearances.