Yainer Diaz Fantasy Stats

Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz (foot) sprained his left foot while playing winter ball in December, manager Joe Espada told Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Diaz is still participating in baseball activities, but his running progression will be behind some of the other players. The 27-year-old backstop is hitting and will catch a bullpen session at camp on Wednesday. The Astros don't seem to have any concerns that Diaz might not be ready for Opening Day in late March. The Dominican catcher reached 20 home runs in 2025 for the second time in his career while slashing .256/.284/.417 with a .701 OPS, 70 RBI, and 56 runs scored in 143 games played. Diaz's drop in batting average from .299 to .256 was likely due to his regression in BABIP from .338 to .277. He doesn't have ideal plate discipline, but he makes enough contact to hold a decent average while supplying enough power to make him a low-end starting catcher in fantasy.

Catcher Yainer Diaz won his salary arbitration case against the Houston Astros on Tuesday, a source told Francys Romero. Diaz will make $4.5 million in 2026 after the Astros filed at $3 million. In his fourth year in the majors with the Astros in 2025, Diaz slashed .256/.284/.417 with a .701 OPS, 20 home runs, 70 RBI, and 56 runs scored in 143 games and 567 plate appearances. It was the second time that the 27-year-old backstop had 20 homers in his career, but his batting average fell more than 40 points. The free-swinging catcher still makes plenty of contact despite his lack of plate discipline, but fantasy managers certainly expect another high average after he was buoyed by a .338 BABIP in 2024. Diaz's low walk rate makes him a liability in leagues that count on-base percentage. But with plenty of pop at catcher and everyday playing time, Diaz is a low-end No. 1 catching option in fantasy baseball.

Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz is back behind the plate and will hit seventh for Friday's series opener against the division-rival Los Angeles Angels and left-hander Tyler Anderson at Daikin Park. Diaz missed the last two games of the series against the Colorado Rockies this week with a hand injury but is good to go to begin the weekend series against the Halos. The 26-year-old backstop has faced Anderson 13 times in his career and is hitting .231 with a .517 OPS. The Dominican catcher is having another fine season as Houston's starting catcher, though, batting .257 (114-for-444) with 18 home runs, 55 RBI and 46 runs scored in 116 games played. Diaz will also enter Friday's series opener with a modest five-game hitting streak that has seen him go 7-for-19 with a homer, two RBI and two runs scored in 22 plate appearances.

Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz (hand) remains out of action for Thursday's series finale against the visiting Colorado Rockies at Daikin Park. Cesar Salazar is starting again behind the plate and will catch right-hander Jason Alexander while batting ninth against Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland. This will be the third straight game that Diaz has not played due to a hand injury, but he should be considered day-to-day. With Victor Caratini going on the seven-day concussion injured list on Wednesday, Salazar will continue to back up Diaz for now. The 29-year-old Mexican catcher is in his third big-league season, but Thursday's game will only be his 35th in the big leagues since debuting in Houston in 2023. So far through nine games in 2025, he's gone 1-for-9 at the plate with a walk and a strikeout. Fantasy managers will want to avoid him in DFS.

Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz (hand) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Wednesday's game against the Colorado Rockies. Diaz was hit by a pitch on the left wrist during Sunday's game. He has been sidelined since then, but is available to come off the bench as a pinch-hitter. Fellow catcher Victor Caratini (head) is in concussion protocol at the moment. That being said, Cesar Salazer will do the catching for lefty Framber Valdez on Wednesday. Fantasy managers should consider Diaz as day-to-day. He figures to be back in the lineup within the next day or two.

Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz turned in a productive game in a 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday. Diaz went 2-for-4 with a double, a homer, two runs, and one RBI in the win. The veteran catcher pushed the Astros' lead to 4-1 with his solo homer in the eighth inning, going back-to-back with Christian Walker in the frame. Diaz is now slashing .248/.280/.411 with 11 doubles, 12 homers, 33 runs, and 37 RBI in 302 at-bats this season. He has been hot of late, hitting .320 with two homers in his past seven games. Diaz remains a solid fantasy catcher in all formats.

Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz won't be in the team's lineup for the final game of their series with the hosting Colorado Rockies. The Dominican Republic native got the starting nod for the previous six contests, but he'll take a seat with Houston squaring off against left-handed pitcher Kyle Freeland. Victor Caratini will cover behind home plate in his stead and bat sixth. Diaz has had a tough time getting going this year, but he's underproducing his expected stats by a decent margin. He's a candidate for positive regression, considering not much has changed in his underlying profile. However, it's worth noting that the 26-year-old has struggled mightily against righties (.231) after batting .297 or better against them the past two campaigns.

Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz is out of Monday's lineup against the Athletics. This breaks a streak of eight straight starts, and he has started 63 of Houston's 72 games this season. The 26-year-old had a slow start to the year but is batting .295 with two home runs over the past two weeks. His season batting average is still a disappointing .243, but the backstop's nine home runs are already over halfway to the 16 he hit in 2024. Victor Caratini will get the start in his place but expect Diaz to be back in the lineup tomorrow.

Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz is not in the starting nine on Saturday when they continue a series against the Seattle Mariners. Diaz has started each of the previous three contests. Over this stretch, the backstop has held a .273/.429/.273 line with a 5:2 K:BB. Since the start of May, Diaz has begun to turn the corner following his slow start, holding a .273/.318/.425 slash line with three doubles, three home runs, and a 16:3 K:BB. Fantasy managers should expect the 26-year-old to return to the starting nine on Sunday. This afternoon, the Astros will give the starting nod to switch-hitter Victor Caratini, who will bat in the five-hole. However, he is best left out of your DFS lineups, facing Seattle right-hander Bryan Woo, who enters this game holding a 2.65 ERA.

Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz hit his fourth home run of the season on Sunday, a three-run shot in a 6-0 win over the Reds. He's now slashing .238/.267/.385 on the season, but that doesn't necessarily tell the whole story. He was one of the coldest hitters in baseball through the first couple of weeks of 2025, but he has quietly been himself as of late. Heading into Sunday, he was batting .304 over the past month and .370 in the past two weeks. The 26-year-old remains the best option for batting average at the position and looks to be on his way to another season as one of the best offensive catchers in the league.