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
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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
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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.
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Cubs' Ryan Pressly: Works ninth inning in rout
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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
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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
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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.
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Cubs' Ryan Pressly: Pitching better but not closing
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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.
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Cubs' Ryan Pressly: Bypassed in save opportunity
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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.
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Cubs' Ryan Pressly: Walloped for eight earned runs
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Pressly (2-2) was the pitcher of record in Tuesday's 14-5 loss to the Giants in 11 innings after allowing nine runs (eight earned) on five hits and one walk without recording an out.
Pressly was brought in for the 11th inning with the game tied 5-5, but things fell off the rails for the veteran closer. He was pummeled for four singles and one double and also put runners on base with a walk and a hit by pitch before he was mercifully lifted from the contest in favor of Caleb Thielbar, who recorded all three outs in the inning. Pressly didn't give up an earned run in any of his previous 10 outings, but after Tuesday's brutal appearance, his ERA rose from 2.08 to 7.62 and his WHIP increased from 1.46 to 1.92. Pressly's rough showing could also prompt manager Craig Counsell to go with Porter Hodge the next time a save situation arises.
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Cubs' Ryan Pressly: Tosses scoreless frame Sunday
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Pressly (knee) pitched one scoreless inning, allowing one walk in Sunday's 3-1 extra-inning loss to the Phillies. He did not factor into the decision.
Pressly made his first appearance out of the bullpen in a week Sunday, tossing a scoreless top of the ninth to keep the score knotted up at 1-1 ahead of the bottom of the frame. The right-hander has been dealing with right knee irritation and hadn't pitched since having his knee drained Tuesday. After a slow start to his first campaign in Chicago, the right-hander has now compiled nine consecutive scoreless appearances, posting a 1.00 WHIP with four strikeouts while picking up two wins and three saves over nine innings in April.
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Cubs' Ryan Pressly: Availability Friday TBD
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Cubs manager Craig Counsell said that Pressly's (knee) availability for Friday's game against the Phillies is yet to be determined, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Pressly had to have his right knee drained Tuesday. He played catch Thursday and will do so again Friday before the Cubs determine whether he's available to pitch in the series opener versus the Phillies. Porter Hodge is next in line to close for Chicago if Pressly cannot pitch, although an appearance Friday would be Hodge's third in four days, so it's possible the Cubs would prefer not to use him.
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Cubs' Ryan Pressly: Battling knee problems
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Pressly had his right knee drained Tuesday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Pressly hasn't appeared in a game since Sunday, and manager Craig Counsell confirmed after Wednesday's win over the Dodgers that the 36-year-old reliever has been dealing with a knee injury over the past few days. The Cubs are optimistic that he'll be available out of the bullpen when they return to action Friday for a three-game series against Philadelphia. While the right-hander was unavailable, Porter Hodge picked up his first save of the season Wednesday.
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Cubs' Ryan Pressly: Earns second win Friday
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Pressly (2-1) worked around a hit to toss a scoreless inning of relief and earn the win in Friday's 13-11 victory over the Diamondbacks.
The Cubs led 7-1 in this one, and then allowed 10 straight Arizona runs in the eighth inning before rallying back in the bottom of the frame for the wild win. While Pressly worked the ninth and preserved a two-run lead, the scorer credited him with a win rather than a save due to ineffective Chicago relief work in that eighth inning as the lead evaporated. The veteran righty had some hiccups earlier in the season, but he's now strung together seven straight scoreless appearances, and he's a perfect 4-for-4 in save opportunities.
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Cubs' Ryan Pressly: Collects win Tuesday
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Pressly (1-1) picked up the win Tuesday, striking out one in a perfect inning of relief during a 2-1 extra-inning victory over the Padres.
After the Cubs' closer breezed through the ninth inning on 16 pitches (11 strikes), Nico Hoerner led off the 10th with an RBI triple to deliver the game-winning run. Pressly has reeled off six straight scoreless appearances, and while his ratios (3.00 ERA, 1.89 WHIP, 4:6 K:BB in nine innings) remain a little shaky, he's 4-for-4 in converting save chances.
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Cubs' Ryan Pressly: Notches fourth save
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Pressly earned the save in Sunday's 4-2 victory over the Dodgers, pitching a clean inning with one strikeout.
The veteran reliever made quick work closing out this win, completing the task in seven pitches, all of which were strikes. Pressly is now a perfect 4-for-4 in saves opportunities this season. However, under the hood, the 34-year-old has shown signs of slowing down, as his 3.38 ERA across eight innings is underpinned by a 6.11 FIP, 2.13 WHIP and 3:6 K:BB.
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Cubs' Ryan Pressly: Struggles but nabs first save
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Pressly picked up a save against the Diamondbacks on Saturday, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out one batter over one inning.
Pressly had a cushy three-run lead to work with when he got the ball in the ninth inning, but the veteran righty nearly gave the game away. He allowed Arizona to pull to within a run before making an out when Eugenio Suarez tagged him for a two-run homer, and Arizona put the tying run on base when Gabriel Moreno followed with a single. Pressly managed to retire the next two batters, but he walked Ketel Marte, and then allowed Corbin Carroll to reach base on an infield single. However, Garrett Hampson made a baserunning blunder on the hit and was tagged out after reaching third base, allowing Pressly to escape with his first save as a Cub. He should have some leash given his veteran status, but if Pressly were to struggle for an extended period, Porter Hodge -- who saved nine games for Chicago last season -- would be waiting in the wings.
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Cubs' Ryan Pressly: Traded to Cubs after waiving NTC
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Pressly will waive his no-trade clause and is set to be traded by the Astros to the Cubs in exchange for Juan Bello, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
The Astros will also be sending money to help cover some of Pressly's $14 million salary, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. The trade is pending Pressly passing his physical, but the expectation is that the 36-year-old right-hander will be the Cubs' closer for the 2025 campaign. Bob Nightengale of USA Today relays that the move also opens the door for the Astros to bring Alex Bregman back. Pressly appeared in 59 regular-season games for Houston in 2024, registering 25 saves with a 3.49 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 58:18 K:BB across 56.2 innings.
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Astros' Ryan Pressly: Earns fourth save
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Pressly pitched 1.2 scoreless innings while allowing two hits to earn the save Saturday against the Angels.
Pressly entered the game with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth inning. He allowed a single to the first batter he faced but still managed to escape the frame with a one-run lead. The ninth inning was less adventurous for Pressly, and he picked up his fourth save. Josh Hader had pitched three times in the last four games and in back-to-back contests, leaving him unavailable Saturday.
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Astros' Ryan Pressly: Returns from IL
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The Astros activated Pressly (back) from the 15-day injured list Thursday, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Pressly missed just the minimum 15 days while recovering from a lower-back strain. He did not go out on a rehab assignment, but manager Joe Espada is unlikely to shy away from using Pressly in high-leverage spots right away.
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Astros' Ryan Pressly: Throwing live batting practice
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Pressly (back) threw a live batting practice session Monday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Everything seemed to go fine for the veteran reliever. Pressly is not expected to need a rehab assignment and is eligible for activation Thursday, so Monday's live BP session was likely the final hurdle he needed to clear before he's deemed fit to return. He's been out since mid-August with a lower-back strain.
