In Photos: Astros pitcher Ryan Pressly cherishes family time during Spring Training's opening week with kids over baseball adventures

Ryan Pressly and the Houston Astros have kicked off their preparation for the 2024 season. Pressly was joined in by his wife, Kat and two kids, son Wyatt and daughter Hunter.

The family visited CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, Florida, the spring training home of the Astros. Kat took to Instagram to share glimpses of their first week at the spring training camp. In the photos, Pressly can be seen having fun with his kids.

The Astros begin their spring training against the Washington Nationals on February 24.

Ryan Pressly was surprised to learn his new role as a setup pitcher

Earlier this offseason, the Houston Astros inked former NL Reliever of the Year Josh Hader to a five-year, $95 million contract. This led Astros management to pick either Hader or Pressly for the closing situations. And it seems Pressly fell out of favor.

Manager Joe Espada clarified the confusion and mentioned that Hader will be the team's primary closer heading into Spring Training.

Pressly, taken by surprise, said:

“Yeah, it was a surprise, but he makes our team better. He’s hands-down one of the best relievers in the game. I’m happy he’s here and happy to share the bullpen with him. It’s going to be a fun time. He seems like a great teammate.’’

Speaking about his role, Pressly is confident about his preparation and said that it doesn't matter if he pitches in the ninth or any other inning.

"I’m the same pitcher, man," Ryan Pressly said. "We got a great bullpen, probably one of the best bullpens in the league. I get paid to get three outs whether it’s the fourth inning or the ninth inning. Whenever the phone rings and they tell me to get in there, I’ll get in there."

Pressly has 102 saves for the Astros over the last four seasons, but his 3.58 ERA in 2023 was his highest since 2017.