Carlos Pena - Fantasy News & Updates
Carlos Pena - Fantasy News & Updates
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The meager average kept Pena on the outside looking in at fantasy's elite first basemen. Still, he was beginning to make up ground there before finger surgery ultimately sidelined him for good, robbing his chances of cracking 40 homers for the second time in three years. There's no reason to expect a major departure from the 30-40 homers and 100-plus RBIs he's delivered in each of the last three seasons. Indications are that he'll be fully recovered in December. Further setbacks could open the door for rising utilityman Willy Aybar at first.
Pins were inserted into both fingers and will be removed in four to six weeks. Pena is expected to be fully recovered in eight to 10 weeks, according to a club release. Despite the season-ending injury, Pena is leading the American League in homers with 39 and posted 100 RBIs, giving him at least 30 homers and 100 RBIs in each of the past three seasons.
Pena was plunked by a CC Sabathia fastball in the first inning of Monday's doubleheader opener, and he underwent X-rays shortly afterward that revealed the fractures. This is a tough break for owners, as Pena had been swinging a strong bat in recent weeks. The first baseman racked up 12 homers and 29 RBIs in August, and he was batting .318 to begin September. Placed on the 60-day DL, Pena finished the season with a .227 average, 39 jacks and an even 100 RBIs. From here on, the Rays will likely use a rotation at first base that includes Ben Zobrist, Willy Aybar and Chris Richard, who was called up from Triple-A Durham to take Pena's spot on the active roster.
Pena tried to check his swing on a high and inside offering from Sabathia and was plunked on the left hand. After the ball hit Pena's hand, it hit his bat and was ruled a foul ball. Pena dropped his bat and received a lengthy visit from Rays manager Joe Maddon and head athletic trainer Ron Porterfield, but stayed in the game and finished the at-bat before leaving the game. Consider him day-to-day pending a more thorough examination.
Pena has hit safely in four of five contests, including another three-hit match on Aug. 31. Owners will likely take any kind of hitting performance from Pena, who's batting a career-low .228.
The lineup promotion makes sense. Pena's power stroke has kicked into gear since the start of August, during which time he's racked up 13 homers and four doubles. "I'm just trying to find the right mix among those three guys," Maddon said. "Carlos, I'm going to stick with him in the four-hole and then just move Pat and Longo back and forth accordingly."
Monday's monster performance by Pena not only ended a 1-for-14 slump, it also capped a powerful month of August in which he raked 12 homers and 29 RBIs. Remember that the sweet-swinging first baseman went out with a bang last September, and there's little reason to expect his production to suddenly sink this time around, either. He's four RBIs away from reaching the century mark for the third straight season.
After a sluggish number of weeks following the All-Star break, Pena finds himself in the midst of his best stretch of hitting all year with six homers and 11 RBIs in his last five games. Tuesday also stretched his hit streak to seven games, during which time his average jumped from .211 to .223. The fact that both of Tuesday's shots came off a lefty -- Brett Cecil -- further underscores his ability to go yard.
After a prolonged slump that dropped his average to .211, Pena has regained his footing and heads into Tuesday riding a six-game hit streak, including four homers in as many contests. It seems all but certain that Pena will reach the 40-homer plateau for the second time by season's end.
Moving up to the No. 5 spot seems to be bringing out the best in Pena, who 's gone deep twice in as many days and has reached base safely in seven straight contests. The problem is, his .219 average is dragging down any production he's providing in the power department. The good news is that it's bound to rise in the weeks ahead, as evidenced by an unlucky .241 BABIP. If you were sitting Pena in recent weeks, now is the time to activate him.
Pena reclaimed sole possession of the AL homer lead with his sixth long ball in August. He's been one consistent source of power in '09 considering he's gone deep at least six times in every month but July, when he went yard three times.
Pena is having an abysmal second half (.160 AVG, .436 SLG), but the Rays needed to do something to get him back on track.
Pena’s hit well below .200 since the end of June, but he’s gone deep five times in his last six games. Stick with him if you can handle the lack of hits, as few players possess more power.
Pena's never going to win any batting titles, but when you have a player who's capable of slugging 40-plus bombs on a yearly basis, asking for too much more than copious amounts of power production seems a little greedy. Pena's 28 bombs put him in a three-way tie for first in the AL with fellow first baseman Mark Teixeira and Justin Morneau.
It continues to be feast or famine for Pena, who’s sent three out of the yard in the last 11 games but has only four other hits in that span. For a guy who ranks among the league leaders in homers and RBIs (71), his .496 slugging percentage is surprisingly low. That’s because he has only 81 hits on the year, translating to a poor .215 average.
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