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.
Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz is out of the starting lineup on Sunday against the visiting Minnesota Twins for the second straight day. Victor Caratini will do the catching again for right-hander Hunter Brown and will bat in the seven-hole for the team against Twins rookie right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson. The Astros are hoping a few days away from the game will let Diaz clear his head during a pretty bad slump. The 25-year-old Dominican backstop hit just .200 (17-for-85) with no homers, five doubles, 10 RBI, one walk and 15 strikeouts in 89 plate appearances over 25 games (23 starts) in the month of May to drop his season slash line to .249/.278/.358 with three homers and 23 RBI in 205 plate appearances. Caratini has hit .247 (19-for-77) on the year with three homers and 14 RBI and will be a low-upside catching option in DFS.
Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz is out of the team's starting lineup for Wednesday's series finale against the visiting Los Angeles Angels. In his place, Victor Caratini will do the catching for right-hander Hunter Brown and will bat in the nine-hole for the Astros against Angels left-hander Tyler Anderson. With a scheduled day off coming on Thursday for Houston, fantasy managers should expect Diaz to be back in there on Friday for a series opener in Oakland against the Athletics. Diaz is currently slashing .264/.297/.385 with three home runs, 22 RBI and 18 runs scored in 174 at-bats as the Astros' primary catcher in 2024. The switch-hitting Caratini has gone 16-for-64 (.250) this year as the backup with two homers and 11 RBI. He's hitless in three career at-bats against Anderson and should be avoided in DFS lineups.
Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz continued his strong start of the season on Thursday versus the Kansas City Royals. Diaz went 2-for-5 on the day with a home run. The home run would be the third of the season for the 25-year-old. Diaz has become the full-time catcher with veteran Martin Maldonado signing with the Chicago White Sox this offseason and the move has worked to perfection thus far. Diaz has not only been a solid bat in the middle of the lineup, but he is hitting a healthy .333 with three homers and seven RBI in 51 games. As a fixture in one of the better lineups in the league and at a tough position, fantasy managers must be thrilled with their early return on investment with Diaz.
Yainer Diaz has accepted the role of full-time catcher for the Houston Astros. The 25-year-old is reportedly going to "let things flow" this year, refusing to let the pressure overwhelm him. Houston's new manager Joe Espada showed his support for D az, stating that he is "ready for the challenge." D az was certainly up to the challenge in 2023, mashing 23 homes in just 104 games. Looking ahead, the Astros believe he will be a solid catcher for the foreseeable future.
Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown said the team will be on the lookout for backup catcher options this offseason, as they plan to enter the 2024 season with Yainer Diaz as "the guy." Martin Maldonado was the club's primary backstop in 2023, but he will head to free agency this winter. The Astros saw enough from Diaz this year to move forward with him as their starting catcher in 2024. In 355 at-bats, the 25-year-old Dominican hit .282 (100-for-355) with 23 home runs, 22 doubles, 60 RBI and 51 runs scored in 377 plate appearances in his first full major-league season. For the power alone, Diaz will be an intriguing fantasy option at a weak position as he sees even more playing time next year for the Astros.
