Astros 2024 Opening Day roster projection 1.0: Rookies join Josh Hader in the bullpen

Astros Opening Day bullpen (8)

• Josh Hader
• Ryan Pressly
• Bryan Abreu
• Forrest Whitley
• Rafael Montero
• Bennett Sousa
• Shawn Dubin
• Dylan Coleman

The backend of the Astros bullpen will be one of the best in all of baseball. Josh Hader signed a mega-deal this offseason after the Astros lost Kendall Graveman to a season-ending injury.

Hader will be joined by the Astros' newly-crowned setup man, Ryan Pressly. The right-hander will take a back seat to Hader this season, but it will allow new Astros manager Joe Espada to deploy the best 1-2 punch in the league if Houston takes a lead into the eighth inning.

Obviously, Houston fans can't forget about Bryan Abreu. The right-hander could make the case to be the closer on probably half of the other MLB clubs, but he'll slot nicely into the back of the Astros bullpen alongside Hader and Pressly.

The Astros, however, have some innings to make up. At the moment, the 'Stros are going with a quality over quantity approach, and that may open the door for a pair of rookies to find their way onto the Opening Day roster.

Forrest Whitley has long been one of the most highly-touted prospects in the Astros farm system. Look for Whitley to finally break into the big leagues, provided he's healthy, and make the team's Opening Day roster. Fellow rookie, Shawn Dubin has a shot to make the team out of West Palm Beach as well.

The rest of the Astros relief corps could see left-hander Bennett Sousa join Rafael Montero and offseason acquisition Dylan Coleman on the Opening Day roster. There are still several weeks of spring training left, and an entire Grapefruit League season ahead. So while most of the Astros roster is set in stone, there are still plenty of spots up for grabs this spring.