Jeff Erickson said it is time to cut or at least bench Ryan Pressly after digging into the underlying numbers. Pressly’s strike-out rate has cratered from 23.8 % last season to an ugly 12 % through 18 innings, and his swinging-strike rate has fallen in three straight years (17.7 % → 15.5 % → 12.5 % → 8.5 %). Whiff rate on the four-seamer slid from 18 % to 9 %, while the slider’s whiff rate was halved (30 % to 15 %). Erickson noted the Cubs used Pressly in the sixth inning last week, a clear sign the organization no longer trusts him in save situations. With no long-term financial commitment and Palencia currently closing, Erickson views Pressly as a luxury stash, not a must-hold, in anything shallower than 15-team formats.