Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz (illness) is returning to the starting lineup on Sunday afternoon. The primary backstop was dealing with an illness. Fantasy managers should expect the 26-year-old to operate as Houston's top catcher during the 2025 season. After appearing in 104 contests in 2023, Diaz logged a career-high 148 starts in 2024. Across this stint, Diaz posted a .299/.325/.441 slash line. His batting average was the fifth-highest mark in the American League. Diaz tallied 29 doubles and 16 home runs. He added 70 runs and 84 RBI. Under the hood, Diaz placed in the 97th percentile in xBA and 80th percentile in xSLG. In addition, Diaz held a 17.4 percent strikeout rate while generating hard hits at a strong 47.5 percent rate. Fantasy managers should view Diaz as a high-floor No.1 catcher in all formats.
Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz is receiving a breather in the series finale on Wednesday versus the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. With Diaz on the bench, Victor Caratini is behind the plate and is catching rookie right-hander Spencer Arrighetti while batting fifth against Phillies right-hander Taijuan Walker. It's a normal day of rest for Diaz in the matinee affair after a night game. The 25-year-old is in the midst of a second straight strong season for the Astros, slashing .297/.323/.456 with 16 home runs, 72 RBI and 57 runs scored in a career-high 121 games as the team's primary catcher. His power has been down a bit this year, but fantasy managers can't really complain at a shallow position. Caratini has hit a solid .273 (45-for-165) in a backup role but has limited power (six homers). He's also hitting .143 in seven career at-bats against Walker.
Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz played the hero in Monday's 5-4 win over the Red Sox. Diaz, who played first base and catcher, went 2-for-5 with a single, a walk-off solo home run, and a strikeout. The 25-year-old connected with a Kenley Jansen pitch and sent it off the top of the back left-field wall in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Astros the win. Diaz has been a fantasy asset in the second half of the season, slashing .345/.372/.593 with seven HR and 21 RBI in 113 second-half at-bats. He should continue to be in fantasy managers' lineups at all times when he is in the lineup, given his production at a weak fantasy position.
Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz helped the team take down the hosting Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in Friday night's win, blasting his 11th home run of the year. Diaz added some insurance in Friday night's come-from-behind victory against Boston in the ninth inning with a two-run homer off Red Sox left-hander Cam Booser, which was a 448-foot moonshot over the Green Monster. Since the start of June, the 25-year-old hard-hitting backstop is batting .349 (73-for-209) with eight home runs, 10 doubles, 38 RBI, and 30 runs scored in his last 52 games for the Astros during his first year as Houston's everyday catcher.
Yainer Diaz Excels At The Plate Tuesday With Four-Hit Performance
Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz excelled at the plate with a four-hit performance, including his 10th home run in Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Diaz has put his hat in the ring as one of the best catchers in fantasy baseball this season with his .295 batting average and double-digit home runs. He's been incredibly hot at the plate in July, hitting .330 with a .350 OBP, three home runs, and 17 RBI. Diaz may not have the power stroke these other catchers have, but he makes up for it in different categories. The 25-year-old is second amongst catchers in total hits (109) and fourth in RBI (58). He's a bit of a liability in OBP leagues, with only 15 walks on the season. Still, as long as he keeps hitting in the middle of that Houston Astros order, he should provide plenty of value for fantasy managers in all league formats.
The Athletic's Chandler Rome suggests the Houston Astros could move catcher Yainer Diaz to first base, perhaps putting him in a platoon with the left-handed-hitting Jon Singleton on days he does not catch, when Victor Caratini returns from a hip-flexor strain. The Astros haven't ruled out Diaz playing first base, and he took ground balls at the position during the team's final homestand before the All-Star break. Since the team released veteran first baseman Jose Abreu, Singleton is hitting .301/.374/.411 in 83 plate appearances, but it remains to be seen if the Astros believe that is sustainable. If Houston decides to seek an upgrade at first on the trade market, Tampa Bay Rays corner infielders Isaac Paredes and Yandy Diaz could both be targets.
Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz had a big night at the plate in his team's 9-1 win over the Miami Marlins on Wednesday. Diaz went 3-for-4 with three RBI to help propel his team to victory. The veteran backstop got the scoring started for the Astros with an RBI single in the first inning and then later came back and knocked in two more runs with a sixth-inning single. Diaz is now hitting .286 with seven homers, 38 runs, 48 RBI, and a stolen base across 311 at-bats in 2024. He has been on fire of late, hitting .406 with 14 RBI over his past 15 games.
Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz had a solid day at the plate during Sunday's game against the Baltimore Orioles. Diaz went 3-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored during Sunday's win. All of his hits were singles, but fantasy managers will take a three-RBI game any day. This season Diaz is slashing .264/.292/.412 with seven home runs and 37 RBI. It's certainly not elite numbers, but he's contributing enough at the catcher spot for fantasy purposes.
Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz went 3-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored in Friday's 7-1 victory over the Angels. One of the hits was a home run, Diaz's seventh of the season, and it was the backstop's fourth consecutive game with a home run. Diaz had a breakout campaign in 2023, belting 23 long balls with a .282 average in just 104 games played, so expectations were high coming into 2024. Managers who drafted the catcher were likely disappointed with his production prior to this recent outburst, as the 25-year-old's last home run came on April 11, a stretch of 39 games and 142 at-bats without one. His recent four-game stretch has put him solidly in the Top-12 for fantasy now. He'll have a challenge continuing the HR streak Saturday against the Angels' LHP Tyler Anderson, who Diaz is 0-for-3 off of in his career with three strikeouts.
Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz went 1-for-4 with a three-run homer in Tuesday's victory against the St. Louis Cardinals. The home run would be his second in as many games and his fifth of the season. Diaz is now hitting .249 and has driven in 28 runs this season. The 25-year-old backstop entered the season as a popular sleeper behind the dish, but struggled before the beginning of this week. It's nice to see Diaz enjoy the Cardinals pitching and hopefully this is a sign of better times to come from here on out. Diaz remains the Astros everyday catcher and is a worthy option in most formats moving forward.
Yainer Diaz
• C
•
Astros
