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Cubs' Ryan Pressly Makes Promising Comments Despite Concerning Start

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jon Conahan | Last updated May 8, 2025 1:15 PM ET

If there have been any issues with the Chicago Cubs throughout the early stages of the season, it's the injuries and the bullpen.

The offense has played much better than most expected, and outside of a few bad games against the San Francisco Giants recently, the Cubs look to be a very good team.

However, it's tough to ignore the bullpen issues, which have been prevalent throughout the first few weeks of the campaign. Closer Ryan Pressly was expected to be a massive addition to this Cubs bullpen, but the right-hander hasn't been great, posting a 7.62 ERA.

Yes, Pressly allowed eight earned runs in one outing after allowing just three in his other 13 innings of work, but he hasn't been as dominant as he typically is, striking out just five hitters in that span.

Speaking with reporters after allowing eight runs against the Giants on Tuesday, Pressly admitted that everything feels fine, and he just had a bad outing.

“Everything’s fine,” Pressly said, per The Athletic. “Body felt great. Like I said, didn’t do my job tonight. Everybody else did.”

There have been some issues for Pressly in his defense, as he hadn’t thrown before Tuesday since May 1. Before that, he had made just one outing since April 20.

“I have to stay ready,” Pressly said. “I have to be off the mound all the time. I got to be proactive in staying sharp. I guess I need to get a little bit more work off the mound when stuff like that happens. But like I said, it’s all on me.”

It'll take some getting used to for the veteran 36-year-old, but when Pressly starts to click and his strikeout stuff returns, the Cubs and he should be more than fine.

He's one of the last guys to worry about on this roster.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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