The Astros placed Abreu on the paternity list Wednesday.

EDGE Analysis

Abreu will be away from the Astros for between one and three games while he welcomes a new addition to his family. He'll temporarily cede his spot on the 26-man active roster to right-hander AJ Blubaugh, who was called up from Triple-A Sugar Land ahead of his first MLB start Wednesday against the Tigers.

The Astros and Abreu avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $3.45 million contract Thursday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

He was arbitration-eligible for a second time this winter. Abreu's ERA rose to 3.10 ERA in 2024, but he notched 100 strikeouts in relief for the second year in a row and will again be a primary setup man ahead of closer Josh Hader in the Houston bullpen in 2025.

Abreu allowed a hit in a scoreless inning and earned a save over Baltimore on Friday.

EDGE Analysis

Abreu worked around a two-out single to close out the chaotic 14-11 victory. It was his first save of the year and he extended his scoreless streak to 8.2 innings. After allowing six runs in 5.2 innings to begin his season, Abreu has yielded just five runs in his last 32 appearances, lowering his season ERA to 2.58. Josh Hader seemingly received a routine day off after earning back-to-back saves against the White Sox on Wednesday and Thursday.

Abreu didn't allow a baserunner and struck out one across a scoreless eighth inning to earn the hold Tuesday against the Giants.

EDGE Analysis

Abreu turned in his fifth consecutive scoreless appearance and has earned four holds in that span. He has a team-high 15 holds this season and is also ranked inside the top five in the league with that mark. Overall, Abreu has an effective 2.88 ERA, though he has issued 20 free passes across 34.1 innings.

Abreu threw a scoreless eighth inning while allowing one hit and striking out three to record a hold Friday against the Tigers.

EDGE Analysis

Ryan Pressly (back) hasn't pitched since May 3, leaving Abreu as Houston's primary setup man. He blew the lead in his first opportunity in the role Sunday, but he performed well in Friday's appearance to tally his sixth hold of the season. Since allowing six earned runs across his first 5.2 innings of the campaign, Abreu has allowed only five earned runs across his last 15.2 frames.

Astros manager Joe Espada announced that Abreu will not be available for Monday's game against the Blue Jays, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

After serving a two-game suspension to start the season, Abreu pitched Saturday and Sunday against the Yankees. He was roughed up in his 2024 debut Saturday, allowing three runs on two hits and two walks in one inning. With Josh Hader also unavailable Monday, the Astros will look to Ryan Pressly, Rafael Montero and Seth Martinez as their main options out of the bullpen.

The Astros activated Abreu from the restricted list Saturday, per MLB's transaction log.

EDGE Analysis

Abreu has served his two-game suspension for intentionally throwing at the Rangers' Adolis Garcia in Game 5 of the ALCS in 2023. Abreu will be available for Saturday's game against the Yankees.

The Astros placed Abreu on the restricted list Thursday.

EDGE Analysis

Abreu has to serve a two-game suspension to begin the season after MLB ruled that he intentionally threw at the Rangers' Adolis Garcia in Game 5 of the ALCS. The setup man will be activated ahead of the third game of the four-game set versus the Yankees.

The Astros and Abreu avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.75 million contract Thursday, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

EDGE Analysis

It's a well-earned raise for Abreu, who was in his first year of arbitration eligibility. The hard-throwing reliever has been dominant for Houston over the last two seasons, posting a 1.84 ERA and 188:57 K:BB across 132.1 innings. If anything happens to closer Ryan Pressly, Abreu would be next in line.

MLB announced Monday that Abreu's two-game suspension for throwing at the Rangers' Adolis Garcia in last Friday's Game 5 of the ALCS was upheld following an appeal, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. Abreu will serve the suspension for the first two games of the 2024 regular season.

EDGE Analysis

The ruling comes as good news for the Astros, as Abreu won't have to miss Monday's Game 7 and will remain eligible to pitch should Houston earn its way to the World Series. Abreu has been the top setup option in front of closer Ryan Pressly in 2023, finishing the regular season with 24 holds and five saves to go with a 1.75 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 100:31 K:BB across 72 innings.