Houston Astros Place Veteran Reliever on 15-Day Injured List

The Houston Astros reliever will be needed in October out of the bullpen.

Aug 9, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Houston Astros pitcher Ryan Pressly (55) pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the ninth inning at Fenway Park. / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Astros have dealt with many injuries throughout the campaign, and that doesn't look like it'll be changing anytime soon, unfortunately. According to Chandler Rome of The Athletic, the Astros placed Ryan Pressly on the 15-day injured list on Saturday with a lower-back strain.

Pressly, who's had to take on a different role after the team signed Josh Hader in the offseason, has still been an important piece to the bullpen. He hasn't been as dominant as in years past, posting his highest ERA since 2017 and tied for the highest WHIP of his career, but with the injuries Houston has dealt with, he's been needed.

Head coach Joe Espada didn't sound too worried about the injury, telling reporters on Saturday that he didn't think it was too severe.

“I don’t think it’s serious,” manager Joe Espada said Saturday afternoon. “We just decided to give him some time for it to heal and get him back out there.”

The Astros have been playing excellent baseball as of late, going 9-1 in their last 10 games. However, this next month and a half will be the biggest part of the season, and Pressly will be needed at some point.

While they're four games ahead of the Seattle Mariners in the American League West, Houston understands better than anyone that four games isn't much of a lead.

Luckily, Hader has been untouchable over the past few weeks, a very promising sign as the Astros look to secure a spot in the postseason.

Espada understands that Hader can't throw every game, so this will give some of the others in the bullpen a chance to prove they belong on the roster in October.

“There’s going to be some games where Abreu and Hader won’t be available, so if you can start getting some of these guys to continue to throw the ball the way they’ve been throwing the ball would be great,” Espada said.

Many players in the bullpen are fighting for an opportunity to pitch in big moments, and this injury opens that up even more. However, Pressly, a veteran who's been in pressure situations more than many relievers in the game, will need to come back for Houston to have the remainder of the campaign they're looking to have.

Hopefully, as Espada believes, this isn't anything serious, and the Astros can get their trustworthy bullpen arm back in the near future. As long as he's healthy for October, they should be in a good position.