Houston Astros relief pitcher Ryan Pressly (back) made his first appearance since last Friday in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the New York Yankees, giving up a home run and one walk with one strikeout while recording two outs. Making his first appearance in six days after experiencing soreness in his lower back, Pressly wasn't sharp in the eighth inning while throwing just 10 of his 22 pitches for strikes and serving up a monstrous home run to Aaron Judge late on Wednesday. While the 35-year-old veteran reliever has taken a backseat to All-Star closer Josh Hader in the saves department, he's not helping his cause with a poor 5.65 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, 22:6 K:BB, and two blown saves over 14 1/3 innings out of Houston's bullpen this year. Even in fantasy leagues that count holds, Pressly is barely worth hanging onto right now.
Houston Astros right-handed reliever Ryan Pressly (back), who hasn't pitched since last Friday, is dealing with soreness in his lower back, according to manager Joe Espada. Pressly played catch on Wednesday, and Espada said he "felt OK" and termed it "nothing worrisome right now." For now, the 35-year-old will remain with the team, but it remains to be seen if he'll be available out of the team's bullpen on Wednesday against the New York Yankees. Pressly's back issues could have contributed to his slow start in 2024, as he's currently sporting a 5.27 ERA and 1.68 WHIP while walking five and striking out 21 in 13 2/3 innings of relief. However, he hasn't allowed a run in his last five innings while walking one and striking out nine and will remain a key late-inning setup man in front of closer Josh Hader if he's healthy enough to pitch.
Houston Astros right-handed reliever Ryan Pressly picked up the loss in Thursday's 5-4 Opening Day defeat to the visiting New York Yankees. He entered in the seventh frame in a 4-4 tie and allowed an earned run on two hits (a leadoff double to Aaron Judge) while walking one and striking out one. The 35-year-old veteran is off to a bad start after losing a lot of his fantasy appeal in the offseason when the team signed left-hander Josh Hader to be their new closer. The former 11th-round selection by the Boston Red Sox in 2007 has made two All-Star teams in his 12-year MLB career and saved 31 games for the Astros in 2023 while posting a 3.58 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 65 1/3 regular-season innings. Despite no longer being the closer in Houston, Pressly still has plenty of value in holds leagues.
Josh Hader To Close, Ryan Pressly To Serve In Setup Role
Houston Astros manager Joe Espada said that left-hander Josh Hader would be the team's closer in 2024, with right-hander Ryan Pressly serving in a late-inning setup role. "Hader will pitch the ninth inning if both guys are available," Espada said. It's no surprise that Hader will be Houston's closer after they signed him to a five-year, $95 million deal in free agency this winter, but it's now official. The 29-year-old hard-throwing left-hander is one of the most dominant late-inning relievers in the game and is now joining a strong Astros club that should give him plenty of save opportunities. Pressly will still likely pick up an occasional save or two, but his fantasy value is going to take a big hit with a permanent move to a setup role in front of Hader. With the San Diego Padres last year, Hader had a 1.28 ERA, 85 strikeouts and 33 saves in 56 1/3 innings.
Astros Manager Won't Name Closer Between Ryan Pressly, Josh Hader
Houston Astros manager Joe Espada would not name a closer when reporters asked him over the weekend at the team's FanFest. This is notable as the Astros just signed closer Josh Hader to a record-breaking contract. Ryan Pressly, who locked down 31 saves for Houston last season, was the clear incumbent before the Hader signing. Conventional wisdom says that Hader will eventually be given the job given his pedigree and contract situation. The 29-year-old southpaw finished the 2023 season with a 1.28 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 85:30 K/BB ratio to go along with 33 saves over 56 1/3 innings with the Padres. Pressly could shift into a setup role once Hader established himself so he should still hold fantasy value in NSVH leagues.
Houston Astros closer Ryan Pressly blew his sixth save of the season in Monday's 8-7 loss to the Orioles, falling to 3-5. Pressly came on to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by two. He got the first out on a strikeout, allowed back-to-back singles, allowed a go-ahead three-run home run, and allowed a walk before ending the inning on back-to-back strikeouts. Despite the poor outing, the 34-year-old has been a higher-end fantasy contributor once again this season, securing 30 saves with a 3.84 ERA and a 10.48 K/9 rate.
Houston Astros relief pitcher Ryan Pressly has been one of the more reliable closers throughout this season. The 34-year-old was called upon to protect a three-run lead versus the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday. He allowed a two-out single to Triston Casas, but was able to get out of the inning without any damage. The right-hander holds a 3.32 ERA with 63 strikeouts through 57 innings of work. Fantasy managers should continue to lean on him for saves down the stretch of the regular season.
Houston Astros relief pitcher Ryan Pressly picked up the save on Tuesday when he allowed just one hit with a pair of strikeouts over a scoreless ninth inning in a 6-5 win over the Miami Marlins. Pressly entered in the bottom of the ninth with the Astros clinging to a one-run lead. He got Bryan De La Cruz to line out before Jesus Sanchez ripped a double. Pressly then settled in and struck out both Avisail Garcia and Joey Wendle to end the game. The 34-year-old stopper is not 28-for-32 on save chances this season and owns a solid 2.92 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 56:10 K/BB ratio over 52 1/3 innings.
Houston Astros closer Ryan Pressly was unavailable for Sunday's game against the New York Yankees, according to manager Dusty Baker. Pressly is dealing with general soreness, but Baker says he is healthy. The 34-year-old has appeared in 11 games since July 14, which is a fairly heavy workload for a reliever. It is likely that the Astros just wanted to give him some rest so he can freshen up for the stretch run. Bryan Abreu earned the save in place of Pressly on Sunday and appears to be second in line for opportunities if Pressly misses time in the future.
Houston Astros reliever Ryan Pressly closed out Monday's 7-3 win over the Cleveland Guardians, going one inning, striking out one, and allowing no baserunners. The outing earned him his 25th save of the season, and he's authoring a 3.17 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 26.8% strikeout rate across 48 1/3 innings to go along with it. Pressly has been one of the most trusted closers in baseball over the past few seasons, and that hasn't changed in 2023. Fantasy managers should start the 34-year-old in all formats.
