Astros Bullpen May Be On Edge After Rough Bryan Abreu Outings

Opening Day weekend answered a few questions on the Houston Astros front. They faced the Los Angeles Angels in a 4-game series to star the 2026 campaign.

After the first two lousy games with the bats relatively silent, the offense woke up, scoring 20 runs to salvage a split. Seeing the offense explode in a hurry is encouraging for the Astros as they continue their homestand facing the Boston Red Sox.

Early Pitching Concerns

However, the pitching told a different story. Neither starting pitcher pitched a quality start, with each of them walking a total of 14 batters allowing 15 earned runs. The bullpen wasn't much help either, doubling the walk total to 28 throughout the 4-game series. For a team with postseason aspirations, commanding the strike zone more confidently needs to change.

The pitching woes don't stop there. Bryan Abreu, who's been the most dominant Astros reliever over the last 4 seasons, has stumbled out of the gate. He assumed closer duties after Josh Hader began his season on the IL.

Abreu's Velocity Dipped

Abreu's season debut entered in the ninth inning with a 11-6 lead, but gave up a three-run homer to Nolan Schanuel, cutting the lead to two. Although he managed to finish the game, he followed it up with another shaky outing in a save situation leading 9-6 and was pulled with two outs left. More specifically, his fastball velocity dipped 3 mph, as noted by The Athletic's Chandler Rome on X (formerly Twitter).

Bryan Abreu, who entered a five-run game last night and threw 26 pitches, averaged 93.2 mph on the 14 fastballs he threw this afternoon.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) March 29, 2026

This may indicates a possible injury on the horizon. Abreu's 14 fastballs on Sunday averaged 93.2 mph, well below his usual average of around 97 mph. If Houston loses both Hader and Abreu to start the year, two of their best relievers, it creates definitive uncertainty on the back end of the bullpen and leave Houston scrambling for late-inning options.

A sharp velocity dip for arguably the Astros' best reliever isn't surprising. Between 2022-2025, He's sported a 2.26 ERA across 281.2 innings striking out 396 batters. These large innings of work locks him near the top or leading the league in relief appearances each year. A high leverage reliever with this amount of workload across four years is likely bound to develop wear and tear on the throwing arm.

How Espada Responded

Following his shaky outing on the 9-7 win, manager Joe Espada was asked about Abreu's dip in fastball velocity, and appeared concerned himself, as he said to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart:

"We did notice that. I’m going to talk to him a little bit just to make sure all is there. ... Just more want to see the conviction behind his pitches. I want to see him attack. He’s one of the best relievers in the game. Those guys on the other side, they don’t want to see you on the mound. I want to see that bulldog mentality. It’s in there and today was one of those days. We’ll turn the page and them him going."

During the Crush City podcast with The Athletic's Chandler Rome and co-host Tyler Stafford, Rome witnessed Espada bring Abreu to his office shortly after he spoke with media.

No IL Stint For Abreu Yet

Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle notes that Espada spoke before today's game against the Red Sox and reported Abreu is "doing well" and cites his dip in velocity a "mechanics issue."

If this issue wanes throughout the season, not only is it detrimental to Houston's bullpen, it also impacts Abreu's case to earn a pay day this upcoming offseason in his contract year.

With Hader out, the Astros bullpen was already in dire jeopardy. Abreu going on the IL would completely collapse it.