Bryan

King

“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 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.

With Hader getting the night off after pitching in two of the last three games, King was called on to close out the game against the Diamondbacks with a two-run lead. He made things interesting by loading the bases with no outs before striking out a batter and inducing a ground ball double play to secure the win and the save.

King has been stellar at both Triple-A and in the majors this season, posting a 2.05 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 27:9 K:BB ratio in 22 innings with the Astros. He will give the Astros another dependable lefty other than Josh Hader. Nick Hernandez was demoted in a corresponding move.

Hernandez has struggled in eight innings at the big league level this year, posting a 7.88 ERA and 1.38 WHIP. The 29-year-old does have a 1.90 ERA in 23 2/3 innings in Triple-A with a 34:9 K:BB ratio and figures to remain organizational bullpen depth. Bryan King was called up in a corresponding move.

King heads back to the minors with setup specialist Ryan Pressly returning from the injured list ahead of Thursday’s game against the Royals. The 27-year-old southpaw holds a stellar 2.05 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 27/9 K/BB ratio across 22 innings (23 appearances) since being called up back in late June.

King was a minor-league Rule 5 selection from the Cubs back in 2022 and missed all of last year recovering from Tommy John surgery. The 27-year-old southpaw will likely operate in low-leverage spots in his first stint in the majors.