32 Elias Diaz C

Diaz is not in the lineup Saturday against the Phillies.

Diaz has hit an unimpressive .255/.308/.327 on the season. He and Jacob Stallings, who will startl behind the plate Saturday, have alternated starts over the last six games.

Diaz will start at catcher and bat eighth against the Phillies on Friday.

He has just five hits in his last 36 at-bats since June 28, good for a .139 batting average. Perhaps more importantly, Diaz has started only seven of 12 games in July as Jacob Stallings has become the personal catcher to both Chris Archer and Joe Musgrove. Diaz is 0-for-4 lifetime with three strikeouts against Friday's starter, Jake Arrieta.

Diaz is not in Wednesday's lineup against the Cardinals.

Diaz is in the midst of an 0-for-13 slump. Jacob Stallings will start behind the dish and bat eighth.

Diaz is not starting Monday against the Cardinals.

Diaz has hit .167/.235/.200 over his last 10 games. Jacob Stallings takes over behind the plate in his absence.

Diaz is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Cubs.

Diaz finished the first half with a passable batting average but not much else, posting a .274/.327/.352 slash line with one homer in 56 games. Jacob Stallings caught Chris Archer's last seven starts prior to the break and will do so again Friday.

Diaz is expected to serve as the Pirates' starting catcher following the announcement that Francisco Cervelli (concussion) will no longer serve as a catcher in the major leagues, DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.

Diaz, who's started since late May when Cervelli was concussed, will likely handle the bulk of catching duties with Jacob Stallings backing him up. Although he's hit one just homer after belting 10 in 2018, Diaz is slashing .311/.367/.407 in his last 150 plate appearances. His defense has fallen off, however. Last year, Diaz compiled a minus-2 DRS. This year, he ranks 68th out of 70 catchers (minimum of 100 innings played) with a minus-11 DRS, trailing both Stallings (plus-4 DRS) and Cervelli (plus-1 DRS). For that reason, Diaz could lose some playing time to Stallings in defensive situations.

Diaz is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers.

Diaz started the first two games of the series but will receive a breather Sunday after going 2-for-10. Jacob Stallings will take over behind the plate and bat eighth for the Pirates.

Diaz remains on the bench Wednesday against the Cubs.

Diaz sits for the second straight game. Jacob Stallings remains in the lineup behind the plate.

Diaz isn't in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Cubs.

Diaz collected a base knock and a walk in Monday's series opener, but he'll ride the bench Tuesday. Jacob Stallings will handle the catching duties and bat eighth in Diaz's absence.

Diaz is not in the lineup Friday for the second day in a row.

Diaz has not ceded the starting catcher spot by any means, but fellow backstop Jacob Stallings will be rewarded with a second straight start after going 3-for-3 with a homer in Thursday's contest. Chances are Diaz will be back behind the plate for the Pirates' next game Saturday.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Astros.

Jacob Stallings will handle the catching duties in the series finale while Diaz rests following a string of three straight starts. Diaz, who is batting .290 in June, should continue to see the bulk of the action behind the dish at least until Francisco Cervelli (concussion) is cleared to return from the injured list.

Diaz is not in Saturday's lineup against the Padres.

He is hitting .324 with an 8:5 K:BB in his last 21 games. Jacob Stallings will start behind the dish, hitting eighth.

Diaz went 2-for-4 with a double against the Tigers on Tuesday.

He's hitting .330 with one homer and 16 RBI in 100 at-bats since May 16. While it's possible that Francisco Cervelli (concussion) returns in a couple weeks and takes away some of Diaz's playing time, Cervelli is unlikely to re-sign with Pittsburgh when he becomes a free agent following season's end. Diaz has compiled only 10 extra-base hits (nine doubles, one homer) in 146 plate appearances, but look for the power numbers to increase, considering he belted 10 homers in 277 plate appearances a year ago.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins.

Diaz will pick up a routine breather after starting the Pirates' last four games behind the plate. Backup Jacob Stallings will handle the catching duties in the series finale.

Diaz isn't in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Braves.

Diaz will head to the bench after drawing four consecutive starts behind the dish. Jacob Stallings is set to handle the catching duties and hit eighth with Diaz out of the lineup.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Braves.

Jacob Stallings will work in a battery with Chris Archer for the latter's second straight turn in the rotation, but that doesn't necessarily indicate that manager Clint Hurdle has committed to Stallings as Archer's personal catcher. Instead, the day game after the night game probably represents the main reason why Diaz isn't starting in the series finale. With 12 hits in 28 at-bats to go with nine RBI over his past seven games, Diaz has cemented himself as the Pirates' top option behind the plate and may even warrant ownership in weekly leagues that start only one catcher.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against Milwaukee.

Diaz went 3-for-7 with a double and four RBI in Saturday's 13-inning loss, and it's no surprise to see him take a seat after catching all 276 pitches in the extra-inning affair. Jacob Stallings will take over behind the plate and bat seventh in the series finale.

Diaz is not starting Friday against the Brewers.

Diaz has become the clear starter behind the plate in Pittsburgh, starting 12 of 15 games prior to Friday. He owns a solid .276 batting average, but singles make up the bulk of his production, giving him an unimpressive .614 OPS. Jacob Stallings gets the start behind the plate in his absence.

Diaz collected a pair of singles in a 7-2 win over the Reds on Wednesday.

Diaz is taking advantage of his opportunity with starter Francisco Cervelli (concussion) sidelined. He's started 11 of the last 13 games and is batting .370 in 46 at-bat over the span. Diaz has only two extra-base hits in 72 May plate appearances, but there's reason to expect improvement in the power category. The 28-year-old slashed .286/.339/.452 with 10 homers and 34 RBI in 277 plate appearances last season.

Diaz isn't in the starting lineup for Game 2 of Monday's doubleheader against the Reds.

Diaz caught the first game of the day and went 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. He'll take a seat for the nightcap with Jacob Stallings slated to start behind the dish and hit seventh.