Insider Says Astros Chose Craig Kimbrel Over Reunion With Past Star

The Houston Astros decided to roll the dice on Craig Kimbrel instead of bringing back a familiar face.

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Injuries have caused a lot of roster turnover for the Houston Astros this year.

With a pitching staff -- mainly the starting rotation -- that has been a revolving door of arms coming in and out to try and fill a group around the two co-aces of Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez, there have been plenty of pitchers who have thrown for the Astros in 2025.

But when Josh Hader went down with his shoulder injury, that created a whole new set of problems in Houston's bullpen, with everyone's role getting shifted because the superstar closer in the midst of an elite season is no longer available.

Bryan Abreu has taken over as the closer, but with one of the game's best setup men being moved out of his usual role, the Astros felt like they needed to add another experience backend reliever, opting to sign Craig Kimbrel for the stretch run.

This was surprising considering the potential future Hall of Famer has struggled during the latter stages of his career, with the Baltimore Orioles outright releasing him last season and him bouncing from organization to organization this year.

Astros Chose Craig Kimbrel Over Ryan Pressly

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The other interesting part about this was the fact that Ryan Pressly was available to be signed, too. Designated for assignment and released by the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 1, it would have made a ton of sense for the two sides to reunite.

However, it seems like Houston was the party who was not interested in making that a reality, with Bob Nightengale of USA Today reporting they "decided to sign Craig Kimbrel instead of bringing back former Astros closer Ryan Pressly."

Much of that decision could be due to the performance of their former closer this season, with Pressly putting up a 4.35 ERA in 44 appearances, striking out a concerningly-low total of 28 batters in 41 1/3 innings pitched with 17 walks.

Welcome to H-Town, Craig! 🤘 pic.twitter.com/lf3rz2Cz6C

— Houston Astros (@astros) August 22, 2025

Kimbrel doesn't have much of a track record to point to this year, with his lone major league appearance being a scoreless outing on June 6 as a member of the Atlanta Braves before he was designated for assignment the following day.

But prior to the wheels falling off in 2024, Kimbrel was one of the best relievers in the sport with a 2.80 ERA across 39 outings prior to the All-Star break, striking out 53 batters in 35 1/3 innings pitched and converting 23 of 28 save opportunities.

The Astros are hoping that's the version they get so they have another capable high-leverage reliever in their midst for the rest of the regular season. But if he struggles, it will be notable that Houston chose him over their former star.