Bryan King: Everything you need to know

King earned the save in Sunday's 9-7 win over the Angels, allowing a hit and striking out two in two-thirds of an inning. After Bryan Abreu issued a pair of walks to start the ninth, the Astros turned to King to record the final two outs. The left-hander would give up an RBI single to Nolan Schanuel before rebounding to strike out Jorge Soler and Yoan Moncada, logging his first save this season. While Abreu will likely remain Houston's primary ninth-inning option while Josh Hader (biceps) is sidelined, King could see more save chances in the short term, depending on matchups. King posted a 2.05 ERA with a 0.85 WHIP and 76:16 K:BB across 52.2 innings in 2025.

King earned a save against the Rangers on Wednesday by pitching 1.1 perfect innings. King entered with two outs in the eighth inning, inheriting two runners on base. He got Dylan Moore to fly out, then retired all three batters he faced in the ninth to close out the contest. The save was King's second of the campaign and his first since July 22. Bryan Abreu has taken over closer duties for Houston with Josh Hader (shoulder) out of action, but Abreu was held out Wednesday after pitching each of the previous two days. It makes sense that the Astros turned to King late in the game, as he's now given up just one run while posting a 17:2 K:BB over his past 17 innings spanning 16 appearances.

King allowed three hits and struck out one in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Diamondbacks. Josh Hader was evidently unavailable after throwing 53 pitches across his last two appearances dating back to Saturday. Manager Joe Espada elected to have Bryan Abreu work the eighth inning against the heart of the Arizona order, while King got the ninth. King loaded the bases with three singles before striking out Blaze Alexander and inducing a double-play grounder from Jose Herrera. King has emerged as a steady setup option for the Astros in his first full big-league season, pitching to a 2.55 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 45:8 K:BB through 42.1 innings while adding 21 holds and two blown saves. He's been scored upon in just seven of his 43 appearances, including a five-run fiasco versus the Rays on May 29 that skewed his ratios, though he has an 8.1-inning scoreless streak in July.