WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Hope and love are in the air at Astros camp, where Jeremy Peña is looking to build on the best season of his career with a wedding on the horizon. Peña broke hearts all over Houston when he asked his girlfriend, professional soccer player Julia Grosso, to marry him in December.
The couple got engaged on the beach in St. Lucia, where Peña, the Astros’ All-Star shortstop, got down on one knee before putting a ring on the finger of Grosso, a Canadian who is a midfielder for the Chicago Stars of the National Women’s Soccer League, as well as the Canadian women’s national team. Peña will represent his native Dominican Republic in next month’s World Baseball Classic.
“I’m excited,” Peña said of his impending nuptials. “It was a big step for us. And yeah, looking forward to it.”
The two athletes were introduced by a mutual friend about a year ago and have been inseparable since — at least as much as their schedules allow. Major League Baseball and the NWSL compete in the same calendar months, so it will have to be a long-distance relationship for much of the year. Peña traveled to Japan in December to watch Grosso play.
Peña, 28, even donned a red No. 7 Stars jersey with Grosso’s name on the back at a match in Chicago in November and cheered her on.
“It was different for me because I’m usually the one playing,” he said. “So now, I’m in the stands, eating hot dogs and talking [trash]. I’m criticizing everybody. I’m like, ‘Man, this is fun.’”
Considering Peña became the first rookie to win a Gold Glove, American League Championship Series Most Valuable Player and World Series MVP in 2022, it would be inaccurate to call last season a breakout year. But he made his first All-Star team in ’25 and was named the club’s MVP for the first time after slashing .304/.363/.477 with 17 homers, 62 RBIs and 20 steals in 125 games, mostly as Houston’s leadoff hitter.
Peña missed the month of July — and the All-Star Game — with a fractured rib and didn’t play in the final week of the regular season because of a strained left oblique. The injuries helped derail the Astros’ run of eight consecutive trips to the postseason, with Houston missing the playoffs by one game.
Peña, who played in 157 games in the regular season in 2024, would like to play all 162 games this year, something no Astros player has done since George Springer a decade ago. Peña has told manager Joe Espada his desire, but Espada said his goal is to get Peña off his feet more than he has in years past.
“You know, everyone says 162 is too many games, but me, as a player, I want to be able to say that I played every single game of a season,” Peña said. “It is definitely a goal of mine. You know, I want to play every single day. So, hopefully, I have a healthy season and we get it done this year.”
Peña’s new batting stance was a big topic at camp two years ago, and he’s still trying to become a more complete hitter despite last year’s success. The cage work never stops.
“Once the season ended, I took some time and got back into it, worked on some things I had to work on, and we’re back,” he said. “Just fine-tuning some stuff with the swing. I feel like there’s always improvement to be made with hitting, with defense. I feel like it was simplifying the swing, and making it repeatable for 162 games plus.”
Peña will be in camp with the Astros through the end of February before he heads to Miami to join the Dominican Republic team for the World Baseball Classic. Peña, who was raised in Providence, R.I., said representing his country has long been a dream.
“It’s something I’ve kind of grown up with,” he said.
Now considered one of the best shortstops in the game, with a new fiancée and a $9.475 million contract for this season, life is really good for Peña. The only thing left is one day being able to put on a Chicago Stars jersey — with Peña on the back. Grosso plans to take Peña’s name.
“I’ll be wearing her jersey more when she gets the Peña on the back,” he said. “I told her she’s got to get No. 3, too, so we could both be ‘JP3.’ That’s cool.”
