Astros' Yainer Diaz: Will be starting catcher in 2024
Rotowire
Astros general manager Dana Brown confirmed in an interview with Randy McIlvoy of KPRC-TV on Thursday that Diaz "will be the main guy" next season at catcher.
Martin Maldonado has reached free agency, and while it's possible he could be re-signed as a backup, Diaz is in line to take over the lion's share of the catching duties for Houston next season. The 25-year-old made 85 starts -- 42 at catcher -- for the Astros in 2023, popping 23 home runs over just 377 plate appearances while posting an .846 OPS.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: Out of lineup for Game 4
Rotowire
Diaz is not in the lineup Wednesday for Game 4 of the ALDS against the Twins.
Diaz takes a seat after going 0-for-5 with four strikeouts as the Astros' designated hitter Tuesday in Game 3. Yordan Alvarez will fill the DH role Wednesday in Game 4, with Michael Brantley patrolling left field and Martin Maldonado again handling the catching duties.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: Will be DH for Game 3
Rotowire
Diaz will start at designated hitter in Game 3 of the ALDS versus the Twins on Tuesday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Diaz had an excellent rookie season for the Astros but has been limited to one pinch-hitting appearance in the first two games of the ALDS. Presumably, his start in Game 3 will come at the expense of Michael Brantley, with Yordan Alvarez playing left field.
Diaz is not in the lineup Sunday against the Royals.
Diaz boasts an .847 OPS with 22 home runs and 57 RBI in 97 games this season for Houston, but he's been riding the pine on a fairly regular basis since Michael Brantley (shoulder) joined the active roster. Brantley is playing left field Sunday as Yordan Alvarez fills the designated-hitter role and Martin Maldonado handles catching duties.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: Not in lineup Friday
Rotowire
Diaz is absent from the lineup Friday at Kansas City.
Martin Maldonado will start at catcher and Yordan Alvarez will serve as the Astros' designated hitter as Michael Brantley patrols left field. Diaz has posted a strong .847 OPS with 21 home runs in 95 major-league games this season, but he's largely been a part-time player over the last few weeks.
Astros' Yainer Diaz: Homers, playing time in question
Rotowire
Diaz went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run and two total runs scored Monday against the Rangers.
Diaz drew the start behind the plate and has been in the lineup in four of six games since Michael Brantley returned, with one of those appearances coming at designated hitter. Even though he's continued to hit well, the path to playing time for Diaz may be closing as the team looks to protect the health of both Brantley and Yordan Alvarez -- making it likely that one of the duo will occupy the designated hitter role. Meanwhile, the Astros have yet to show the desire to move away from Martin Maldonado behind the dish, which could give Diaz an uphill battle for playing time moving forward.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: Slugs homer No. 20
Rotowire
Diaz went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Yankees.
The rookie supplied the Astros' final offense of the night when he drove a Luis Severino slider the other way for an opposite-field homer. Diaz has cemented his spot in the lineup by slashing .303/.340/.574 since the beginning of August with seven of his 20 long balls on the season, and the 24-year-old has fallen into a pattern of starting two out of every three games -- once at DH and once at catcher.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: Gets Sunday off
Rotowire
Diaz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees.
Diaz is sitting for the second time in six games and won't have as clear of a path to an everyday role following Michael Brantley's recent return from the 60-day injured list. However, with Diaz having maintained a .929 OPS since the All-Star break, he's continuing to make it difficult for manager Dusty Baker to take him out of the lineup.
Diaz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox.
Diaz will head to the bench after starting in the first two games of the series in Boston and going 1-for-8 with two walks, two runs and an RBI. He'll have a more crowded path to playing time moving forward after the Astros activated Michael Brantley from the 60-day injured list Tuesday, but manager Dusty Baker will likely look to find ways to keep Diaz's bat in the lineup so long as the rookie remains productive. Diaz has compiled a .917 OPS over 36 games since the All-Star break.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: Swats pinch-hit home run
Rotowire
Diaz went 2-for-2 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 17-4 win over the Tigers.
Diaz entered the game as a pinch hitter for Martin Maldonado in the eighth inning and had the luxury of facing backup catcher Carson Kelly, who was pitching for the Tigers to preserve the bullpen while Houston held a 12-0 lead. The rookie still took advantage of the favorable matchup and supplied his 19th home run, setting an Astros record for most home runs in a season for a catcher. Diaz is still in a timeshare behind the dish with Maldonado, though the Astros have found ways to keep Diaz's bat in the lineup at designated hitter and first base on his non-catching days. The 24-year-old is now slashing .284/.304/.537 with 48 RBI and 39 runs in 313 plate appearances on the campaign.
Diaz went 0-for-4 with a walk Saturday against the Tigers.
Diaz didn't have a remarkable game, but his role in the Houston lineup appears secure. He's started all four games since Jose Abreu was activated from the injured list, playing twice at catcher and twice serving as the designated hitter. Diaz will need to be productive at the plate to keep his playing time, as his presence in the starting lineup will likely either push Abreu to the bench or force Yordan Alvarez to play the outfield.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: Heads to bench Sunday
Rotowire
Diaz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers.
Though Diaz is on the bench for Sunday's series finale, expect the Astros to find a way for him to stick in the lineup on a near-everyday basis. He had started in each of the last nine games, slashing .316/.350/.553 with five extra-base hits. Even with Jose Abreu having recently returned from the injured list, the Astros can keep Diaz's bat in the lineup by deploying Yordan Alvarez in the corner outfield more often or giving top catcher Martin Maldonado more frequent days off.
