One Astros reliever stands to gain the most from Josh Hader’s ongoing injury issues

Next man up.

Eric Cole

Houston Astros relief pitcher Josh Hader (71) / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

There is never a good time for injuries, but spring training is a better time than most. The games don't count and there's time to recover. That doesn't really apply to Houston Astros closer Josh Hader, however, as his injury troubles have bled over from last season. But one Astros reliever stands to benefit the most from Hader's situation.

Bryan Abreu was one of the Astros' unsung heroes over the last few years. Hader and Ryan Pressly had their ups and downs in high-leverage spots, but Abreu has been Houston's most consistent reliever. Since 2022, he's posted a 2.30 ERA and 2.79 FIP across a startling 275 appearances.

With Hader looking more and more unlikely be part of the Astros Opening Day roster, Abreu could finally have the opening he's been waiting for.

Josh Hader's injury could pay massive dividends for Bryan Abreu

Losing Hader for any amount of time makes the Astros worse, but you won't find much in the way of panic, partly because the messaging around the injury has revealed it to be a relatively minor issue. Abreu should have no problem taking the reins of the closer's role to begin the season.

This does present a problem for the Astros, though. Abreu is also a free agent after the season. He's making $5.85 million this season in his last year of arbitration, and is already in line for a hefty raise with his next contract. If he shows that he can dominate as a closer in 2026, he could quickly become one of the top free agents on the market.

The likelihood of the Astros paying top dollar for both Abtreu and Hader, with their tight payroll situation, seems very unlikely. That could explain why there were trade rumors around Abreu earlier this offseason.

It seems more and more that Abreu has simply outgrown Houston. Unless he suffers a major injury, Hader is going to be the closer, but Abreu is better than his current spot on the depth chart. With this upcoming opportunity, Abreu has a chance to prove it to the rest of baseball ahead of free agency.

Eric Cole

I started my career writing about baseball covering the Atlanta Braves for SB Nation's Talking Chop back in 2015 which has since been renamed Battery Power. After years of writing for those fine folks, I made the decision to take over as Site Expert at House That Hank Built before becoming a full-time MLB Staff Writer for FanSided in 2023. Along the way, I have been a guest on multiple ESPN radio affiliates as well as 680 The Fan and 92.9 The Game to discuss Braves baseball and especially Braves prospects and was a long-time host on the Battery Power podcast. These days, I continue to write about the Braves as well as covering the Astros, Padres, and Angels with particular expertise with minor league coverage, the MLB Draft, and bashing Anthony Rendon when possible. When I am not writing about or talking about baseball (which is seldom), I am an avid baseball card collector (Maddux and Soroka being my primary personal collections) and I also collect shark teeth. All other sports are mostly dead to me as my Bills have broken my heart too many times.