Bryan

Abreu

Abreu has been awful to begin the 2026 season, and it just continued Saturday. He walked three, and while he did pick up a strikeout, he gave up a scorching line drive to J.P. Crawford with the bases loaded to take the loss. His ERA is now a reprehensible 20.25, and no matter how small the sample, it’s at least a smidgen concerning. Josh Hader isn’t far behind, and to say he doesn’t have to worry about his closer job being usurped is an understatement. Not now, anyway.

Troy Johnston singled in a run after the two walks. Abreu’s velocity remains down 1-1.5 mph from last year, but his lack of command seems like the bigger problem at this point. He’s allowed a run in all five of his appearances, and he’s far from assured of getting the ninth next time the Astros need a closer.

Hader has been on the shelf since spring training recovering from biceps tendinitis and is still in the early stages of his throwing progression. He figures to be cleared to start a minor league rehab assignment after a couple live batting practice sessions. There haven’t been a ton of save chances in Houston so far with Bryan Abreu and Bryan King seemingly in the driver’s seat until Hader is ready to return at some point next month.

Abreu was handed a one-run lead in the bottom of the 10th, and it was evaporated on a three-run blast by Brent Rooker that gave the A’s the win and Abreu the loss and blown save. It’s very early, but the 28-year-old has been atrocious to begin the year with an unseemly 23.63 ERA over the first 10 games. One has to wonder if Abreu will get the next save chance for Houston, or if they’ll try and get him right in a lower-leverage situation.

Pitching with a three-run lead, Abreu gave up the solo shot to start the inning but then struck out the remaining three batters he faced. His fastball was back up to 96.1 mph on average today, which is up 1.6 mph better than first two outings but still down 1.4 mph from last year. It’s a good sign, nevertheless.

“We spotted a few things and we’ll be able to get him back on track here for his next outing,” Espada told reporters on Monday. He also confirmed that Abreu isn’t dealing with any physical issues, which is an encouraging development. The 28-year-old high-leverage specialist, who is filling in for injured Astros closer Josh Hader (biceps), averaged just 93.2 mph on his fastball during Sunday’s outing against the Angels in a save situation after averaging 97.3 mph last year. He was ultimately pulled in favor of lefty Bryan King after issuing a pair of walks and recording only one out. It doesn’t sound like the Astros are overly concerned. King would be the clear stash for fantasy managers in the event that Abreu doesn’t turn things around.

After giving up three runs in a non-save situation on Saturday, Abreu came on with a two-run lead to protect on Sunday afternoon. He issued a leadoff walk to Adam Frazier before getting Zach Neto on a deep fly ball to left. He then walked Mike Trout to put the tying runs on base. That’s when manager Joe Espada pulled the plug and turned to left-hander Bryan King. It could just be a blip in the radar, but perhaps Abreu isn’t as secure in the ninth inning role as everyone assumed with Josh Hader sidelined.

Not only did Abreu struggle with the punctuation coming on a three-run homer from Nolan Schanuel, but it came in a non-save situation, so fantasy managers get nothing but a hit to the ERA and WHIP. Abreu will remain the closer for Houston while Josh Hader (biceps) recovers, but it’ll take a few outings to make up for this one.

As expected, Hader will open the regular season with a trip to the injured list. It’ll be Bryan Abreu handling the ninth-inning role in his absence, which gives him immediate relevance in all fantasy formats. Hader remains without a definitive return timetable and has yet to progress to facing hitters. At this juncture, it seems unlikely he’ll return to Houston’s bullpen before the end of April.

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.