Astros' Peña Fractures Finger, Out for World Baseball Classic

Houston Astros All-Star shortstop Jeremy Peña suffered a fracture in the tip of his right ring finger during an exhibition game for the Dominican Republic on Wednesday, ruling him out of the World Baseball Classic and casting uncertainty over his status for the start of the major league season.

The injury occurred in the third inning of the Dominican Republic's 5-4 loss to the Detroit Tigers at Publix Field in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Peña fielded a ground ball from Tigers prospect Wenceel Pérez behind second base, completing the out with a throw to first. However, the ball took an awkward hop and struck the tip of his right ring finger. He appeared uncomfortable immediately after the play and was removed from the game after three innings. Peña, who had left the Astros' spring training camp in West Palm Beach on Saturday to join his national team, underwent X-rays and visited a hand specialist on Thursday for further evaluation.

Astros manager Joe Espada addressed the situation during a media session at the team's spring training facility. "Peña had some damage to the nail area on the finger after fielding a hard ground ball," Espada said. Initial reports from the club described...