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Carlos Correa’s Jeremy Pena shortstop admission will catch Astros fans’ attention
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- Carlos Correa’s Jeremy Pena shortstop admission will catch Astros fans’ attention
Carlos Correa's Jeremy Pena shortstop admission will catch Astros fans' attention appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Carlos Correa , who initially played shortstop throughout most of his career, is playing third base for the Houston Astros this season. As the club prepares in spring training for the 2026 regular season, it sounds like Correa is ultimately impressed with starting shortstop Jeremy Pena .
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While talking with reporters on Saturday, Correa admitted that he knew one day Pena would take the starting shortstop job away from him in 2021. He claims he was aware the Astros would move on from him because of how talented Pena is. The 31-year-old infielder also stated how much he loves being back in Houston and being Pena's teammate.
"When I started taking ground balls with [Pena] in my free agency year, I was like, 'Yeah, I'm not coming back here,'" said Correa. "You know, you got such a great player coming up that's gonna make the minimum, for sure, I'm gonna have to find a market somewhere else.
"Just to be able to come back and just play with him, just play with him and just watch him become the superstar that he is right now, and how good he's just on both sides of the ball at shortstop. He's amazing. I just love the way that he plays the position."
Carlos Correa left the Astros in free agency in 2022 and signed with the Minnesota Twins . However, the Twins traded him back to the Astros before the deadline in 2025. Correa ended the 2025 campaign with a .276 batting average and .332 OBP while recording 148 hits, 13 home runs, and 52 RBIs.
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As for Jeremy Pena , he's been the starting shortstop for the Astros since 2022. He's emerged as one of the best players in his position in MLB and is expected to maintain that consistency in 2026. He's coming off a 2025 season where he ended with a .304 batting average (career-high) and .363 OBP (career-high), along with 150 hits, 17 home runs, 62 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases.
Related: How will Astros bounce back in 2026? Jose Altuve has the answer
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