Pressly pitched 1.2 scoreless innings while allowing two hits to earn the save Saturday against the Angels.
Pressly entered the game with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth inning. He allowed a single to the first batter he faced but still managed to escape the frame with a one-run lead. The ninth inning was less adventurous for Pressly, and he picked up his fourth save. Josh Hader had pitched three times in the last four games and in back-to-back contests, leaving him unavailable Saturday.
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Astros' Ryan Pressly: Picks up win
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Pressly (2-3) allowed one earned run on one hit and one walk while striking out two to earn the win Thursday against the A's.
Pressly gave up the game-tying home run in the eighth inning and has now allowed an earned run in five of his last 10 appearances. He was bailed out by an Astros rally in the bottom of the eighth and picked up his second win of the season -- both of which have come in his last five outings.
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Astros' Ryan Pressly: Returns from IL
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The Astros activated Pressly (back) from the 15-day injured list Thursday, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Pressly missed just the minimum 15 days while recovering from a lower-back strain. He did not go out on a rehab assignment, but manager Joe Espada is unlikely to shy away from using Pressly in high-leverage spots right away.
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Astros' Ryan Pressly: Throwing live batting practice
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Pressly (back) threw a live batting practice session Monday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Everything seemed to go fine for the veteran reliever. Pressly is not expected to need a rehab assignment and is eligible for activation Thursday, so Monday's live BP session was likely the final hurdle he needed to clear before he's deemed fit to return. He's been out since mid-August with a lower-back strain.
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Astros' Ryan Pressly: Expected back when first eligible
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Pressly (back) threw another bullpen session Saturday and is expected to return from the injured list when first eligible, MLB.com reports.
Saturday's activity marked Pressly's second bullpen session since being placed on the injured list. Manager Joe Espada also noted that Pressly won't need a rehab assignment, putting him in line to return Aug. 29.
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Astros' Ryan Pressly: Plays catch Monday
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Astros manager Joe Espada said that Pressly (back) played catch Monday, MLB.com reports.
Pressly was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a lower-back strain, but the fact that he resumed throwing two days later bodes well for his chances of rejoining the Astros when first eligible Aug. 29. Espada said that the right-hander had been nursing the back strain for about two weeks before he was deactivated over the weekend.
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Astros' Ryan Pressly: Lands on IL with back strain
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The Astros placed Pressly on the 15-day injured list due to a lower-back strain, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
It's unclear when exactly Pressly sustained the strain, but he's given up one earned run in each of his last four outings. In his 10 outings since the All-Star break, he's recorded six holds and two blown saves with a 4.50 ERA and 1.80 WHIP over 10 innings. Seth Martinez was recalled from Triple-A Sugar Land in a corresponding move.
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Astros' Ryan Pressly: Under contract for 2025
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Pressly's $14 million option for 2025 vested during Friday's 3-2 win over the Rays, when he made his 45th appearance of the season, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Prior to the 2023 season, Pressly inked a two-year, $30 million extension that triggered a $14 million option if he appeared in 50 games in both the 2023 and 2024 seasons or if he appeared in 110 games between both seasons. Since he had already logged 65 appearances in 2023, Pressly was able to reach 110 with his scoreless inning Friday. The 35-year-old right-hander's strikeout rate continues to tumble downward from his peak years as Houston's closer, but he's remained dependable in his first season as a setup man for five-time All-Star Josh Hader. After a bumpy March and April, Pressly has settled in nicely and has provided a 0.51 ERA and 0.91 WHIP over his last 18 appearances while collecting 12 holds and a save during that stretch.
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Astros' Ryan Pressly: Tosses another scoreless appearance
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Pressly struck out one and allowed one hit in a scoreless eighth inning to earn a hold Saturday against the Mets.
Pressly struggled significantly to begin the season, but he's now turned in seven straight scoreless appearances. He's picked up five holds and a save while maintaining a 6:1 K:BB in that span. Even with that stretch, Pressly has a 4.40 ERA with a 1.43 WHIP overall on the campaign.
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Astros' Ryan Pressly: Locks down save Tuesday
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Pressly struck two in a perfect inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Giants.
Pressly was called upon to close the game with Josh Hader unavailable after working the previous two days. The 35-year-old got Patrick Bailey to fly out before recording back-to-back punchouts to seal the deal. He now has two saves in the last week, though Tuesday's outing also comes on the heels of a blown save Sunday. Despite holding a 5.19 ERA on the year, it seems as though Pressly still has the advantage over Bryan Abreu for save opportunities when Hader is unavailable to pitch.
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Astros' Ryan Pressly: Grabs first save
Rotowire
Pressly struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 8-5 win over the Cardinals.
This was Pressly's first save of the season to go with seven holds and four blown saves. Regular closer Josh Hader had pitched three of the last five days, including Monday, which likely led to the decision to give Pressly the ninth inning in Tuesday's win. Over his previous nine outings, Pressly had been tagged for six runs (five earned) over 8.2 innings. He's had a rough campaign with a 5.01 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 30:8 K:BB over 23.1 innings after Hader's offseason arrival bumped Pressly into a setup role through no fault of his own.
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Astros' Ryan Pressly: Takes another loss
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Pressly (0-3) allowed an earned run on one hit and one walk across one inning to take the loss Sunday against the Twins.
Pressly allowed a leadoff walk, which ultimately became the game-winning run for the Twins. He took his second loss in his last three appearances, and Pressly has allowed three earned runs in that span. Though he has had stretches of effectiveness this season, he now owns a 5.06 ERA and 1.59 WHIP across 21.1 innings.
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Astros' Ryan Pressly: Returns to mound
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Pressly threw a scoreless inning without allowing a baserunner and striking out one Monday against the Angels.
Pressly was out for the team's weekend series with finger soreness, but he showed no ill effects in his return. He entered the game in the eighth inning with the Astros down three, presumably because the team wanted to get him some work after the layoff. Pressly has struggled a bit of late, allowing an earned run in half of his last four appearances. He has a 5.19 ERA on the season.
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Astros' Ryan Pressly: Available to pitch Monday
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Astros manager Joe Espada said that Pressly (finger) will be available out of the bullpen Monday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Pressly has been off limits for a few days while dealing with soreness in a finger on his right hand, but it seems he's fully recovered now. The veteran reliever has struggled this season, collecting a 5.51 ERA and 1.78 WHIP through 16.1 innings.
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Astros' Ryan Pressly: Battling finger soreness
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Manager Joe Espada said Pressly was unavailable for Friday's game against the Brewers due to a sore finger on his right (throwing) hand, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Pressly's finger issue doesn't appear to be anything too serious, though it may prevent him from pitching for another day or two. The 35-year-old right-hander currently holds a 5.51 ERA and 1.78 WHIP through 16.1 innings and has not appeared in a game since Tuesday.
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Astros' Ryan Pressly: Overcomes back injury
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Pressly (back) was credited with his fifth hold of the season and gave up one earned run on one hit and one walk across 0.2 innings in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Yankees.
Astros manager Joe Espada disclosed Wednesday that Pressly was managing a lower-back issue, but the reliever's appearance one day later suggests that Houston isn't overly concerned about the injury. Pressly has continued to make bats miss with 22 strikeouts over 14.1 innings, but he headed into Sunday's series finale in Detroit with a 5.65 ERA and 1.74 WHIP over his 16 appearances out of the Houston bullpen.
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Astros' Ryan Pressly: Blows save chance
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Pressly allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits and no walks while striking out one across one inning to blow the save Saturday against the Nationals.
Josh Hader threw 30 pitches to convert a save Friday, likely leaving him unavailable Saturday. Pressly was called upon to protect a two-run lead in the ninth inning as a result, though he failed to do so through a combination of bad luck and poor pitching. The leadoff man reached base on catcher's interference, but Pressly then proceeded to surrender a double and single that resulted in two runs crossing the plate. Pressly had pitched fairly well recently, but he's now allowed at least one earned run in five of 10 games this season with an overall ERA of 8.31.
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Astros' Ryan Pressly: Saddled with Opening Day loss
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Pressly (0-1) took the loss Thursday against the Yankees, allowing a run on two hits and a walk. He struck out one.
Pressly was tasked with preserving a 4-4 tie in the seventh inning against the middle of the Yankees order. The right-hander surrendered a lead-off double to Aaron Judge, who would come around to score on an Alex Verdugo sacrifice fly. It's a tough start to the year for the 35-year-old Pressly, who was already destined for a reduced role after Houston brought in Josh Hader to handle closing duties. Pressly converted 31 of 37 save chances last season, sporting a 3.58 ERA with 74:16 K:BB over 65.1 innings.
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Astros' Ryan Pressly: Confirmed as setup man
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Astros manager Joe Espada confirmed Wednesday that Pressly will serve as a setup man when Josh Hader is available to close games, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
When the Astros announced Hader's signing to a five-year, $95 million deal in late January, general manager Dana Brown was initially evasive when asked to define the roles of the team's relievers, though the prevailing assumption was that Hader -- a five-time All-Star -- would take over as Houston's full-time closer. Espada put to rest any thought that the Astros might opt for a two-pronged approach to the ninth inning, despite Pressly's strong track record as Houston's primary closer for the past four seasons. Pressly had already begun to show signs of skills degradation in 2023 -- his 3.58 ERA, 3.61 xERA and 21.6 K-BB% last season were all his worst marks of his five full seasons in Houston -- but the 35-year-old still profiles as a reliable setup man in front of Hader and a capable fill-in closer on the occasions Hader isn't available. Even so, the lack of reliable save opportunities moving forward largely limits Pressly's fantasy appeal to deeper leagues or AL-only leagues.
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Astros' Ryan Pressly: In line for setup role
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Pressly is expected to serve in a setup role for the Astros following the signing of Josh Hader, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Manager Joe Espada declined to name a closer when asked Saturday at the team's FanFest event. However, Rome writes of Espada that he "sounded like a manager who will eventually name a standalone closer," and that's fully expected to be Hader. The team spoke to Pressly before agreeing to terms with Hader and Pressly is "all in" on the move, per Espada. Pressly should still be rosterable in deep leagues even in a setup role, but clearly his fantasy stock is way down following the Hader move.
