Pressly was designated for assignment by the Cubs on Thursday.
Pressly had a tough tenure with the Cubs, which appears to have concluded when he served up a grand slam Tuesday against the Brewers. Overall, he has a 4.35 ERA and 1.52 WHIP across 41.1 innings and could be headed for free agency if he goes unclaimed on waivers.
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Cubs' Ryan Pressly: Allows grand slam Tuesday
Rotowire
Pressly allowed four runs (three earned) on a hit and two walks across an inning of relief in Tuesday's loss to the Brewers. He struck out two.
Pressly only allowed the one hit but it was a big one, as he served up a grand slam to the red-hot Andrew Vaughn in the sixth inning that broke the game open for Milwaukee. The veteran reliever had seemingly righted the ship after a rough start to the season, but he's now allowed runs in three straight outings, and his ERA has climbed to 4.35. Pressly has a career 3.33 ERA and he was under 4.00 in each of the last seven seasons.
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Cubs' Ryan Pressly: Takes loss Sunday
Rotowire
Pressly (2-3) allowed two runs on a hit and a walk across an inning of relief to take the loss Sunday against the Red Sox. He struck out two.
Pressly came into the contest having logged eight straight scoreless appearances, but a two-run home run by Wilyer Abreu in the seventh inning snapped that streak. The veteran reliever still has a solid 3.62 ERA overall, and since allowing eight earned runs in a nightmare outing back on May 6, he has a sparkling 1.48 ERA. Pressly is no longer closing games in Chicago due to the emergence of Daniel Palencia, though he's at least mostly gotten back on track following a rough start to the season.
Pressly worked a scoreless ninth inning with a strikeout in Saturday's 12-3 win over the Astros.
Pressly closed things out Saturday, though it was far from a save situation. It was also his first game action in four days. The veteran righty managed to secure a save back on June 12, but since then, Daniel Palencia has rattled off the team's last three saves. Pressly is at least pitching better after a rough start to the season, as he now has a 1.23 ERA over his last 15 appearances. However, it appears that Palencia is the clear closer in Chicago at this point, with Pressly working in a setup role along with Porter Hodge and Drew Pomeranz.
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Cubs' Ryan Pressly: Secures save Thursday
Rotowire
Pressly tossed a scoreless inning of relief to earn the save in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Pirates.
After getting pulled from the closer role earlier in the year due to poor play, Pressly managed to secure his first save since April 13, and he only needed six pitches to shut the door. The veteran has seemingly turned a corner, as he's now strung together 14 straight appearances without allowing an earned run, which has lowered his ERA from 7.62 to 3.81. It's also noteworthy that Daniel Palencia, who had stepped up as the Cubs' primary closer during Pressly's demotion, worked the eighth inning Thursday. It may be too early to say that Pressly is the unquestioned closer in Chicago, though he has certainly regained enough trust to get back into the ninth inning mix, and his fantasy stock is once again on the rise.
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Cubs' Ryan Pressly: Performance trending upward
Rotowire
Pressly, who tossed a scoreless inning of relief with two strikeouts in Monday's 4-3, extra-innings loss to the Phillies, has now gone 12 straight appearances without allowing an earned run.
Pressly was hammered for eight earned runs without recording an out back on May 6, but since then, he's allowed just a single unearned run across 11 innings to go along with 10 strikeouts. The veteran righty has lowered his ERA from 7.62 to 4.13 in the process. Daniel Palencia, who took the loss Monday but still has a sparkling 1.96 ERA, has emerged as the team's top closing option, though Pressly could push his way back into the picture if he continues to pitch well. At the very least, he's seemingly done enough to at least earn some trust in high-leverage spots, potentially as a setup man for now.
Cubs' Ryan Pressly: Pitching better but not closing
Rotowire
Pressly, who has rattled off eight straight scoreless appearances, last recorded a save on April 13.
Since allowing nine runs (eight earned) in a nightmare of an outing back on May 6, Pressly has gone on his ongoing scoreless streak, though he's fallen out of the closer role as well. Daniel Palencia, who recorded the save in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Rockies, now has four saves over the last week and a 1.64 ERA this month. As long as Palencia is pitching well, he should stay ahead of Pressly in the bullpen pecking order, with Porter Hodge (oblique) likely set to slide back into a setup role when he returns from the injured list. Pressly's subpar numbers, along with Palencia's emergence and Hodge's eventual return, has diminished the former's fantasy appeal.
Pressly was not used in a save situation Monday, as Drew Pomeranz instead closed out the 5-2 win over the Marlins.
Pressly last pitched Friday, so fatigue shouldn't have been an issue. It appears the Cubs are ready to try other options at the end of games due to Pressly's struggles. The veteran righty has a 7.07 ERA and 1.93 WHIP, and he's only struck out six batters across 14 innings. Porter Hodge seemed like the most likely ninth-inning alternative coming into the year, but he's also struggled with a 5.71 ERA of his own. The Chicago bullpen is in flux at the moment, and while Pressly could re-emerge as the closer at some point, his fantasy stock is trending down for now.
Pressly worked around a hit and a walk to pitch a scoreless inning of relief in Friday's 7-2 loss to the Mets. He struck out one.
Pressly's last appearance Tuesday was a nightmare as he allowed nine runs (eight earned) on five hits and one walk without recording an out. The veteran righty was better Friday, though he's still stuck with an ugly 7.07 ERA. The Cubs haven't presented any save opportunities since Tuesday, and it remains to be seen if Pressly will get the team's next chance or if someone like Porter Hodge is asked to step up instead.
