Diaz is out of the lineup Thursday against the Yankees.
Martin Maldonado will start at catcher and bat ninth as the Astros open a big four-game series at Yankee Stadium. Diaz should start at least two of the games, whether behind the plate or as the DH.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: Productive day at plate
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Diaz went 2-for-5 with one double, a two-run home run, an additional RBI and an additional run scored in Saturday's victory over Tampa Bay.
Diaz tagged starter Taj Bradley for a two-run shot in the second inning, marking the 24-year-old's 13th homer of the season and his third in the past six games. However, he didn't stop there, plating Chas McCormick on a fifth-inning double off Calvin Faucher. Over his last 16 games, Diaz is 15-for-54 (.278) with five home runs and 13 RBI.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: Lifts late homer
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Diaz went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 13-5 loss to the Rangers.
Diaz's blast came in the ninth inning with the Astros trailing by 10 runs, so it had little consequence on the game. The 24-year-old will need to continue making an impact with the bat, as the return of Yordan Alvarez (oblique) Wednesday likely means that Diaz's primary path to at-bats as the designated hitter has been cut off. He could still push for more time behind the dish -- Diaz is batting .263 with a .774 OPS through 61 contests, compared to Martin Maldonado's .170 average and .548 OPS over 76 games. Diaz has added 12 homers, 28 RBI, 25 runs scored and 13 doubles.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: Heads to bench in Alvarez's return
Rotowire
Diaz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rangers.
Diaz had started each of the last three games -- with the last two coming as a designated hitter -- but he'll cede his spot in the lineup to Yordan Alvarez (oblique), who was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Wednesday. Unless the Astros are willing to pull the plug on the struggling Martin Maldonado as their primary catcher, Diaz will likely be limited to a part-time role moving forward after he had been a near-everyday player for Houston since the beginning of June.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: Sits again Saturday
Rotowire
Diaz is out of the lineup Saturday against the Athletics.
Diaz also sat out of Friday's game in Oakland, though there's no word of any injury. Martin Maldonado is catching for the Astros on Saturday and Corey Julks will take a turn as the designated hitter.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: Not in lineup Friday
Rotowire
Diaz is not in the lineup for Friday's game at Oakland.
Diaz started at catcher in Thursday's series opener versus the Athletics and went 0-for-3. Martin Maldonado is behind the plate Friday and David Hensley will take a turn as the Astros' designated hitter.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: Reaches base three times
Rotowire
Diaz went 2-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored Saturday against the Angels.
Diaz was out of the lineup for Houston's first game after the All-Star break, but he returned to hit seventh and serve as the designated hitter Saturday. He entered the game in a short-term slump, having hit just .216 across his previous 10 contests and 37 at-bats. Diaz has shown some impressive power across 193 plate appearances this season by maintaining a .224 ISO. However, he boasts just a 2.6 percent walk rate, limiting him to a .285 on-base percentage. It remains to be seen whether that will be enough to keep him in the lineup regularly as the catcher once Yordan Alvarez (oblique) is able to return.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: Goes yard twice
Rotowire
Diaz went 2-for-4 with two homers, three RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's 6-4 win over the Rockies.
Diaz launched a solo shot in the bottom of the second to put the Astros on the board. The catcher wasn't done, however, taking Chase Anderson deep for a second time in the fourth to make it a 3-0 ballgame. Diaz now has three home runs over his last three games to go along with four RBI and two runs scored. He's also hit safely in five of his last seven contests.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: Racks up three hits
Rotowire
Diaz went 3-for-6 with two doubles and one RBI in Thursday's 14-0 win over the Cardinals.
Diaz has six multi-hit efforts over 20 games in June, and he's batting .313 (25-for-80) for the month. His strong hitting has helped him force his way into the lineup on a regular basis, splitting time between designated hitter and catcher. Diaz has maintained a .275/.287/.500 slash line with seven home runs, 11 doubles, 17 RBI and 16 runs scored over 150 plate appearances. His walk rate remains low at 2.0 percent, which may make his recent success hard to sustain.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: Stays hot Wednesday
Rotowire
Diaz went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 10-8 win over the Mets.
Making his fourth straight start at DH, Diaz drove a first-pitch fastball from Dominic Leone onto the concourse beyond the Crawford Boxes in the fourth inning, giving the Astros a 9-6 lead they wouldn't relinquish. The 24-year-old rookie has taken full advantage of the absence of Yordan Alvarez (oblique), hitting safely in five straight games to continue a hot stretch that has seen Diaz slash .339/.344/.729 over his last 16 contests with six of his seven homers on the season.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: Nabs third straight start
Rotowire
Diaz will serve as Houston's designated hitter and No. 6 batter in Wednesday's game against the Nationals, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Diaz will pick up his third consecutive start, with two having come against right-handed pitchers. With the Astros keeping Cesar Salazar on the 26-man active roster for the time being as a third option at catcher, Diaz looks as though he'll move between designated hitter and first base while Houston aims to replace Yordan Alvarez (oblique). Diaz appears to have an edge over Corey Julks and Chas McCormick for the last spot in Houston's everyday lineup.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: Smacks second homer
Rotowire
Diaz went 1-for-2 with a solo home run Wednesday against the Twins.
Diaz entered the game in the eighth inning with Houston down eight runs and slugged his second career home run. He continues to get only sporadic playing time behind Martin Maldonado behind the plate, as he's tallied 68 plate appearances despite sticking in the majors for the entire season.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: Hits first career home run
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Diaz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's win over the White Sox.
Diaz led off the fourth with a solo blast to left field off of Lucas Giolito for his first career major league home run. The 24-year-old has rotated in behind the plate with Martin Maldonado but doesn't have a path to a near everyday role unless Maldonado is forced to miss time. Diaz is now slashing .217/.250/.348 with four RBI, sux runs and a 2:11 BB:K over 52 plate appearances.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: Sitting out Sunday
Rotowire
Diaz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.
Diaz will sit for the second time in four games after previously logging one start apiece at catcher and designated hitter and going hitless with one walk between those two contests. Martin Maldonado is locked in as Houston's primary backstop, but Diaz and Corey Julks could vie for regular reps out of the DH spot while Michael Brantley (shoulder) is on the shelf.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: Gets start in DH spot
Rotowire
Diaz is starting in the designated hitter spot and batting sixth for the Astros in Thursday's opener versus the White Sox.
The Astros are carrying three catchers in part so they can use Diaz at DH and he's in that slot for the first regular-season contest. It enhances his fantasy outlook, although he might not yet be catcher-eligible in your league. Worth remembering is that Michael Brantley (shoulder) will be used at DH when he's ready, as will Yordan Alvarez.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: Makes Opening Day roster
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Astros manager Dusty Baker said Tuesday that Diaz has won a spot on the Opening Day roster, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Diaz excelled in the upper minors last season, slashing .306/.356/.542 with 25 home runs and 96 RBI in 105 games between Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Sugar Land. His primary position is catcher, but the 24-year-old has played some corner outfield and first base, and he might also be an option at DH for the reigning World Series champions.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: Chance to earn role
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Diaz will have the chance to win the backup catcher job this spring, Paige Leckie of MLB.com reports.
Martin Maldonado is penciled in as the starting backstop in Houston, but the depth chart is unresolved from there. Diaz seems big-league ready with the bat -- he maintained a 121 wRC+ across 219 plate appearances with Triple-A Sugar Land in 2022 -- but his defense is more questionable. Upon reporting to camp, Diaz noted that he focused on improving all facets of his defense this offseason in an effort to stick in the majors. He is competing with fellow prospect Korey Lee for the role, though Diaz's bat-first profile may help him given that Maldonado is a strong defensive catcher but offers little at the plate.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: Collects first RBI
Rotowire
Diaz went 0-for-3 with a walk and an RBI in Friday's 4-2 win over the Angels.
Diaz made his major-league debut Friday, and he drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the Astros' fourth run. The 23-year-old is a natural catcher, but he was the designated hitter Friday and doesn't seem likely to displace Martin Maldonado and Christian Vazquez behind the dish. Diaz had a solid 6.1 percent walk rate and a disciplined 17.8 percent strikeout rate in 48 games with Triple-A Sugar Land prior to his call-up. He slashed .294/.342/.587 with 16 home runs, 48 RBI and 38 runs scored at the highest level of the minors, though there's probably not a regular role waiting for him in the Houston lineup.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: Contract officially selected
Rotowire
Diaz's contract was selected from Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Diaz has been productive at Sugar Land this season but has been particularly dominant at the plate over the last two weeks. He's put together eight multi-hit performances over the last 12 games and has slashed .393/.443/.661 with four home runs, three doubles, 17 runs and 14 RBI over that stretch. The 23-year-old will provide catching depth for the Astros, but he also has experience at first base and the corner-outfield spots.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: MLB debut coming soon
Rotowire
Diaz will have his contract selected from Triple-A Sugar Land when rosters expand Sept. 1, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Diaz will need to wait a few more days before officially receiving his first chance in the big leagues. He will not only add depth behind the dish down the stretch, but he also has experience at first base and the corner-outfield spots. The 23-year-old began his 2022 campaign in Double-A before getting promoted to Triple-A on June 21, where he's slashed .294/.342/.587 with 16 home runs, 48 RBI, one stolen base and 38 runs scored over 48 games.
