Knee inflammation lands Pressly on IL

SEATTLE — The Astros placed Ryan Pressly on the injured list Saturday with right knee inflammation, perhaps offering some clarity on their closer’s diminished fastball velocity.

Pressly collected a save during three of his four outings this season, but averaged just 92.7 mph with his four-seam fastball. Pressly’s fastball sat at 94.6 mph in 2020 and 95.4 mph in 2021.

Pressly had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee during the 2019 season.

“Right now, we expect it to be fairly short term, but it’s just that type of thing where we need to take it day by day and see how he responds,” Astros assistant general manager Andrew Ball said. “We want to make sure we get the best version of him back out here to be successful.”

Houston selected the contract of lefthander Parker Mushinski to replace Pressly on its active roster.

Mushinski, a 26-yearold Arlington native, was not on the team’s 40-man roster but the Astros did not need to make a corresponding move given Yordan Alvarez’s status on the COVID-19 related injured list. Players on the COVID-IL do not count against a team’s 40-man roster.

Pressly flew back to Houston on Saturday to seek further evaluation and was unavailable for comment. Manager Dusty Baker said Pressly had been “ailing” for a couple of days, but did not want to speculate how long he’d been battling the knee issue.

Pressly made the American League All Star team last season after posting a 2.25 ERA and 0.969 WHIP. The Astros gave him a two-year, $30 million contract extension last week with a thirdyear option contingent on appearances. Pressly must appear in 50 games during both 2022 and 2023 for his $14 million option in 2024 to vest.

Baker hinted he will deploy a closer by committee in Pressly’s absence. The manager mentioned Rafael Montero and Héctor Neris — former closers with their previous teams — as his most logical candidates. Ryne Stanek is an option, too, but Baker said the flamethrowing righthander had been battling a stiff back in recent days. Stanek was available to pitch on Saturday, Baker said.

Pressly’s stint on the injured list is backdated to April 14, meaning the earliest he could return is April 24, when the Toronto Blue Jays visit.

“Truthfully, I think this is something he probably could have pitched through,” Ball said. “but we kind of said ‘Why don’t you take a breather … and get yourself 100 percent rather than trying to pitch through this and do some long-term damage where we end up missing you for an extended period of time.”

Mushinski earns surprising call-up

Mushinski made his way to a quiet corner of a somber clubhouse. The Sugar Land Space Cowboys took a 7-2 loss on Friday night. Manager Mickey Storey found Mushinski to deliver good news despite it.

“He told me, and I don’t think I stopped crying for a period of time,” Mushinski said with a smile.

The Astros summoned Mushinski from Class AAA Sugar Land on Saturday for his major league debut. The 26-year-old lefthanded reliever took Pressly’s spot on Houston’s 28-man active roster after Pressly’s right knee forced him to the injured list.

“He’s been throwing the ball really well in Triple-A,” Ball said. “I know it’s a short start to their season, but he’s been looking pretty good both from an on-field performance standpoint and preparation. Talking to the coaches down there, he was someone that was ready to come up for this.”

Though Baker has long been in favor of carrying two lefthanders in his bullpen, Mushinski’s promotion is somewhat surprising. The team signed Zac Rosscup and Adam Morgan to minor league deals during spring training. Both southpaws have ample major league service time, but the team opted for Mushinski.

The Astros selected Mushinski in the seventh round of the 2017 draft from Texas Tech.

Mushinski earned a non-roster invitation to major league spring training, where he struck out six batters in four Grapefruit League innings. Mushinski had thrown in 42⁄3 innings for Sugar Land prior to his promotion, striking out five without allowing an earned run. Mushinski has a 1.277 WHIP and 3.27 ERA in 83 career minor league appearances.