The Houston Astros activated closer Ryan Pressly (neck) from the 15-day injured list on Friday and optioned Brandon Bielak to the minors in a corresponding move. Pressly was originally scheduled to be reinstated from the injured list earlier this week, but that was pushed back after he experienced more neck issues. Hopefully, the 33-year-old veteran right-hander is now good to go and can immediately return to ninth-inning duties for the first-place Astros. He didn't make any appearances on a minor league rehab assignment, so Pressly could be a bit rusty when he first pitches again in the big leagues. Expect Rafael Montero to shift back to a setup role. Pressly has a 3.11 ERA (2.08 FIP), a 0.93 WHIP, 25 saves and 46 strikeouts in 37 2/3 relief innings in 2022.

Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker said that closer Ryan Pressly (neck) still doesn't feel right and did not return to the team Tuesday as intended, per Houston Chronicle's Chandler Rome. Pressly has been on the injured list since mid-August with neck stiffness, but Baker did clarify that he hasn't been shut down. This is not a good sign for fantasy managers, as there is not much time left in the fantasy season. However, the news makes teammate Rafael Montero even more of a fantasy asset down the stretch, who has been filling in for Pressly.

Houston Astros general manager James Click said Monday that he is hopeful closer Ryan Pressly (neck) will return from the injured list Tuesday, per Fox 26's Mark Berman. Pressly has been sidelined with neck stiffness/spasms since August 22. Rafael Montero has been filling in nicely at the end of games for the Astros, but Pressly's 29 saves, 3.11 ERA, and 10.99 K/9 rate will be gladly welcomed back by both the team and fantasy managers. Fantasy managers should keep an eye out for the official transaction before making any roster moves.

Houston Astros closer Ryan Pressly (neck) is going on the injured list on Thursday due to neck stiffness. The Astros are calling up Seth Martinez from Triple-A Sugar Land in a corresponding move. Pressly was unavailable to pitch the last two days, and now the Astros will keep him out for the next 15 days. The 33-year-old right-hander needs to be stashed in all fantasy leagues, as he's recorded 25 saves with a 3.11 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 46 strikeouts in 37 2/3 innings this year. Bryan Abreu vultured a one-out save with Pressly unavailable on Tuesday, but Rafael Montero figures to be the team's primary ninth-inning option with Pressly sidelined.

Houston Astros skipper Dusty Baker said that closer Ryan Pressly (neck) will likely be unavailable for the second straight game on Wednesday against the Minnesota Twins while dealing with neck stiffness. It's an issue that Pressly has dealt with already this season, so fantasy managers should make plans just in case the 33-year-old right-hander will need a stint on the injured list. Bryan Abreu vultured the save against the Twins on Tuesday night, but Rafael Montero is the guy that fantasy managers will want to pick up if they have Pressley rostered or if they are desperate for saves. Pressly has 25 saves in 2022 to go along with a 3.11 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 46 strikeouts in 37 2/3 relief innings for Houston.

Houston Astros closer Ryan Pressly (neck) had a stiff neck and was unavailable to close out Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Minnesota Twins. With Pressly unable to pitch, Bryan Abreu came in to vulture a one-out save, but Rafael Montero will likely see most of the save chances for Houston if Pressly's injury keeps him out any longer. Pressly dealt with some minor neck soreness earlier this month, so it's certainly something to watch. The 33-year-old picked up his 25th save of the year in his last outing on Sunday, and he's also sporting a 3.11 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 46 strikeouts in 37 2/3 innings pitched. It remains to be seen how long Pressly will be out, but if you're in need of saves and Montero is available on the waiver wire, scoop him up immediately.

Houston Astros relief pitcher Ryan Pressly (neck) is unavailable to pitch during Saturday's game against the Oakland Athletics. Manager Dusty Baker will give Pressly the day off as he deals with a neck issue. This doesn't sound like the type of issue that is going to cost Pressly a trip to the injured list. Fantasy managers should consider Pressly day-to-day until further notice. Right-hander Hector Neris is expected to take the mound, assuming the Astros need a closer for this game.

The Houston Astros activated closer Ryan Pressly from the paternity list on Sunday. He will be available out of the bullpen for Sunday's game against the Seattle Mariners. Pressly and his wife Kat welcomed a daughter named Hunter this past week. The team had three save opportunities pop up while Pressly was tending to his fatherly duties. Each opportunity went to a different Astros reliever, with Rafael Montero, Hector Neris and Bryan Abreu each converting their save chance. Pressly has converted 16 of his last 17 save chances dating back to early May. He owns a 2.89 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP on the year to go along with 19 saves.

Houston Astros closer Ryan Pressly will be put on the paternity list on Thursday following the birth of his second child. Left-hander Parker Mushinski (elbow) will be activated in a corresponding move. Pressly has been solid this year as Houston's closer, securing 19 saves with a 2.89 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 32 strikeouts in 28 innings pitched, but fantasy managers will be without him over the next couple of days. If a save situation arises for the Astros in the meantime, Rafael Montero should be viewed as the favorite for a save chance, with Hector Neris and Ryne Stanek also candidates for ninth-inning work.

Houston Astros closer Ryan Pressly picked up his 17th save of the season in the 2-1 win on Thursday in a makeup game against the New York Yankees. Pressly didn't allow a hit and didn't walk a batter while striking out two in his scoreless inning of work to shut things down. The 33-year-old right-hander has now recorded back-to-back saves, so there's a good chance he won't be available if a save situation arises in the first game of the weekend series against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday. Pressly imploded in a blown save and a loss last Thursday against the Yankees when he gave up four runs in just a third of an inning, but he's bounced back nicely with saves in his last three outings without allowing a single run while striking out five and walking none.

Houston Astros right-hander Ryan Pressly converted his 15th save of the season and finished off the Astros' combined no-hitter over the New York Yankees on Saturday. Pressly struck out two without allowing a baserunner over his inning of work. It was a nice bounce back for the Astros closer, who had a disastrous outing just two days ago in which he gave up four runs and blew the save against this same Yankees team. Although he has had some blow-ups and his underlying numbers are significantly worse this season, he has still been solid overall. That along with having manager Dusty Baker's full trust keeps Pressly near the top of the closer rankings.

Houston Astros relief pitcher Ryan Pressly has been sharp out of the bullpen this season. On Wednesday, Pressly struck out a pair of batters in a perfect ninth inning against the New York Mets. Pressly blew his first save of the season when he came off the injured list in early May. Since then, he has converted 11 straight saves and is showing no signs of slowing down. Pressly appears to be in a groove, so fantasy managers should continue to trust him.

Houston Astros closer Ryan Pressly earned his ninth save of the year on Tuesday after closing out the team's 3-1 win over the Oakland Athletics. He pitched a scoreless ninth inning, allowing one hit and no walks. Pressly is now 9-for-11 on save opportunities this year and he has a 2.25 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. While those numbers all look solid, he has a few concerning metrics, including an 18.8% strikeout rate (down from 32.4% last year). His velocity is also down across the board this year. He's averaging 93.6 mph on his four-seam fastball, a pitch that was averaging 95.4 mph last year. There's no reason to think Pressly's closing role is in jeopardy at this point, but if the velocity drop and low strikeouts catch up to him, we could see the team look elsewhere, most likely toward Rafael Montero.

Houston Astros reliever Ryan Pressly tossed a sharp ninth inning versus the Rangers on Thursday, striking out all three batters he faced to seal the club's 5-1 win. The right-hander was warming up in the bottom of the eighth in a 2-1 game before the Astros tacked on three more runs to make it a non-save situation, but it was still good to see him toss 11 of his 14 pitches for strikes in the dominant frame. Pressly has allowed three runs over 7 1/3 IP this season (3.68 ERA) with a 1.09 WHIP and six strikeouts which isn't exactly eye-popping, but he remains the sure-fire closer on one of the better teams in baseball.

Despite the fact that the Houston Astros have won 24 games and lead the A.L. West, closer Ryan Pressly has converted only four saves on the season. While a large reason for the low save total is the fact that Pressly spent time on the injured list in April due to a knee injury, he has been back in action since May 5th. On the season, Pressly has converted four of six save opportunities while posting a 4.26 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and just three strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings pitched in seven appearances. It has been a disappointing start to the season for managers who drafted Pressly in the early rounds as one of the top-seven closer options coming into the 2022 campaign. Hopefully, Houston will generate more save opportunities and Pressly can get into a rhythm as the season progresses. Set-up reliever Rafael Montero has three saves on the season and has looked solid posting a 0.61 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, and 17 strikeouts over 14 2/3 IP for Houston. If Pressly continues to struggle or is not fully recovered from his knee injury, he may cede save opportunities to Montero and wind up in a committee situation.

Houston Astros reliever Ryan Pressly was credited with the win during Thursday's 3-2 win over the Tigers despite blowing his second save of the season. It was the right-hander's first appearance back from the IL after he suffered a knee injury in mid-April, and there was certainly some rust with his fastball velocity sitting in the 93 MPH range. Pressly was able to retire the first two batters of the inning, but he wound up allowing a single and then a two-run homer off the bat of Jeimer Candelario to tie the contest. There should be some concern with Pressly's health moving forward, but we will need to see a couple more outings from the 33-year-old before we can fully make a conclusion.

The Houston Astros have activated closer Ryan Pressly (knee) from the 10-day injured list ahead of Thursday's game against the Detroit Tigers. The 33-year-old was out for about three weeks with right knee inflammation. He will take on closing duties for the team once again, relegating Rafael Montero back into a setup role. Pressly was 3-for-4 on save opportunities prior to the injury. He recorded 26 saves across 28 opportunities last year and has a good chance of reaching that total or even improving on it this year.

Houston Astros closer Ryan Pressly (knee) needed only six pitches to get through a scoreless inning in his rehab outing with Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday. Pressly got three groundouts during his appearance and has rejoined the Astros at Minute Maid Park on Wednesday. Houston is likely determining whether they want the 33-year-old to make another rehab outing in the minors before they activate him from the injured list. Either way, he's close to returning as the Astros ninth-inning man. Before he landed on the IL with right knee inflammation, Pressly had allowed one earned run while saving three games in 3 1/3 innings. Rafael Montero has recorded two saves in the last week and will likely get the next save chance that arises for Houston until Pressly returns.

Houston Astros closer Ryan Pressly (knee) was sent out to Triple-A Sugar Land on a rehab assignment on Monday. The 33-year-old has been out since April 16 due to right knee inflammation. If all goes well with his rehab assignment at Triple-A, he could be back with the Astros by this weekend. For now, expect to see the Astros utilize a mix of Rafael Montero, Hector Neris and Ryne Stanek for any save opportunities that arise. Pressly will most certainly be the ninth inning man once he's back. He's converted 3-of-4 save opportunities this year while pitching to a 2.70 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP.

Houston Astros right-hander Ryan Pressly (knee) had recently seemed close to being activated from the injured list but it appears that his return to the field could be pushed back some. Manager Dusty Baker told reporters on Wednesday that Pressly is "not quite ready" and that the club has not decided if he will throw another simulated game. According to Baker, Pressly did not suffer a setback but he also has not made a step forward in his attempts to return to action. Pressly has appeared in four games for the Astros in 2022, posting a 2.70 ERA, three saves, and two strikeouts over 3 1/3 innings of work. Hector Neris should continue to see the majority of the saves for as long as Pressly is out.