Bryan

Abreu

This was expected, but there was some hope after Hader said he “felt good” following his bullpen on Tuesday. Still, if you watched footage of that bullpen, Hader was clearly not letting the ball fly with the usual zip, and he’s still ramping up from an offseason shoulder issue and now his biceps issue. Hader could be back in the middle of April and return to his normal self, but it’s hard to feel optimistic that he makes it through the season without more trips to the IL given his multitude of arm issues. Bryan Abreu is the clear pivot here if you’re looking for early saves with the chance to hold onto the role if Hader isn’t fully healthy.

Hader has been limited to playing catch after experiencing biceps inflammation in his ramp up. If he’s pain-free when he gets back on the mound, then there might be some chance of him being available on Opening Day. Still, it seems more likely that he’ll miss at least the first week or two of the season. Bryan Abreu is the Astros’ fallback in the closer’s role.

Hader remains without a definitive timetable to return as Houston’s closer, which opens the door for elite high-leverage specialist Bryan Abreu to open the season in the ninth-inning role. The 31-year-old southpaw has been working his way back from biceps inflammation that cropped up earlier this month and should progress to throwing a bullpen session in the near future. He’s a virtual lock to open the year on the injured list, which has caused his fantasy stock to crater in re-draft formats.

What that actually means for Hader’s availability to start the regular season remains to be seen. The 31-year-old southpaw is dealing with inflammation in his biceps tendon after finishing the 2025 campaign on the injured list with a left shoulder strain. Until he’s back up on a mound and facing live hitters, it’s difficult to project any sort of timeline for his absence. Bryan Abreu will open the season in the closer’s role if Hader starts the year on the IL.

Arbitration isn’t kind to setup men in general, but Abreu has been good enough for long enough that he’s at least getting paid about one-third of what he’s worth. The 28-year-old had a 2.28 ERA in 71 innings for the Astros last season. He’ll be a free agent after 2026.

After Bryan Abreu threw 44 pitches combined between appearances on Monday and Tuesday, the Astros called on King to close out the Rangers and complete this sweep. He got his four outs on just 14 pitches and made it look easy against the bottom of their lineup.

Abreu was summoned in the eighth inning to protect a two-run lead with a runner on and two outs. He issued a walk and gave up a base hit to bring a run in for the Rangers before getting out of the jam. Abreu then worked around two base hits in the ninth, striking out two batters to close out the game with his seventh save of the season to go with a 2.37 ERA and 103 strikeouts over 68 1/3 innings.

A leadoff single was erased on a double-play ball, but another rally started with a walk and a single before Cody Freeman grounded out to end the game. In spite of all of the action, Abreu threw just 12 pitches, so he should be ready to work again Tuesday.

Abreu avenged his blown save from Tuesday night to close out the Blue Jays here. He’s had a rocky two weeks allowing eight earned runs over his last four outings, but it’s clear the Astros are still relying on him to be their unquestioned closer.

Abreu struck out two batters in the ballgame. He came on with a 3-1 lead to protect but got himself into trouble early by issuing a leadoff walk to Alejandro Kirk. After striking out Addison Barger, he allowed a single to Ernie Clement and then walked Davis Schneider to load the bases. Isiah Kiner-Falefa followed with a game-tying, two-run single. Abreu retired the next two hitters to escape further trouble, but the damage had already been done. Even with this rough outing though, the 28-year-old hurler still sports a strong 2.49 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and a 100/29 K/BB ratio over 65 innings. He remains the best bet for save chances in the Astros’ bullpen.