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Stats

Christian Vázquez slugs homer in win vs. Angels

Christian Vázquez

HOU Catcher #2

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Christian Vázquez went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a walk in a 3-2 win over the Angels on Wednesday.

Vázquez opened up the scoring in this game with a solo home run in the third inning. The Angels then pulled ahead in the top of the fourth before the Astros stormed ahead in the bottom of the frame and didn’t look back. Vázquez has pushed his way into a part-time role as the Astros’ catcher starting six of their last 10 games due to the continued struggles from Yainer Diaz.

- James Schiano

Recap

More Christian Vázquez News

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Christian Vázquez

HOU Catcher #2

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Christian Vázquez went 2-for-4 and hit his fourth homer to help the Astros top the Cubs 4-2 on Friday.

Vázquez homered off Jameson Taillon in the third and then singled in a second run an inning later. Playing more than expected to Yainer Diaz out, he’s hit .258/.324/.430 with 16 RBI in 104 plate appearances. It seems pretty crazy now that he had to settle for a minor league contract on March 7 in order to stay in the league.
Yainer Diaz

HOU Catcher #21

Yainer Diaz was scratched from the lineup for Monday’s game against the Dodgers with a left abdominal injury.

It’s a bit unclear whether Diaz will require a trip to the injured list, but the fact that the Astros have brought up César Salazar from the minors seems to indicate that he’s not going to be available off the bench, even in an emergency. There should be an update on his status following the contest. It’ll be Christian Vázquez handling the catching duties in his absence.
Yainer Diaz

HOU Catcher #21

Yainer Diaz is not in the starting lineup on Wednesday against the Red Sox.

It’s a routine day off for a catcher with a day game after a night game, but since Yordan Alvarez is entrenched at the designated hitter, there is nowhere else for Diaz to play. That’s an ongoing battle that he will face all season. Christian Vázquez will start behind the dish and bat ninth.
Christian Vázquez

HOU Catcher

Astros selected the contract of C Christian Vázquez from Triple-A Sugar Land.

Vázquez officially makes Houston’s season-opening roster as a backup to starting catcher Yainer Diaz. He can be safely ignored in all fantasy formats.
César Salazar

HOU Catcher #18

Astros designated C César Salazar for assignment.

This opens up a spot on the 40-man roster for Christian Vázquez, who made the team as a backup catcher.
Christian Vázquez

HOU Catcher #8

Christian Vázquez has made the Opening Day roster, according to Astros manager Joe Espada.

Vázquez will serve as the primary caddy to starter Yainer Diaz after making the club as a non-roster invitee this spring. The trickle-down effect here is that César Salazar will be designated for assignment and exposed to waivers since he is out of minor-league options.
Christian Vázquez

HOU Catcher #8

Astros signed C Christian Vázquez to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.

Vázquez languished on the open market all offseason before finally latches on with the Astros with just a few weeks leading up to Opening Day. The 35-year-old veteran is merely a part-time defensive specialist at this stage of his career and will be returning to Houston where he spent the final two months of the 2022 campaign after being dealt by the Red Sox. He’s a solid emergency option behind backup catcher César Salazar in case anything happened to starter Yainer Diaz.
Christian Vázquez

FA Catcher #8

According to Chandler Rome of The Athletic, the Astros have shown interest in a reunion with Christian Vazquez.

With Victor Caratini leaving via free agency, the Astros are in the market for a backup to work behind Yainer Diaz. Vazquez, previously functioned in that role for the Astros in the second half of the 2022 season. He had a rough year at the dish with the Twins in 2025, slashing a woeful .189/.271/.274 with three homers and 14 RBI in 214 plate appearances.
Christian Vázquez

MIN Catcher #8

Christian Vazquez went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in a loss to the Phillies on Sunday.

Vazquez took Aaron Nola deep for the Twins’ only run of the game. The veteran has gotten the shorter end of the playing time in a committee with Ryan Jeffers. He now has three home runs and 14 RBI to go along with a .194/.276/.280 slash line.
Ryan Jeffers

MIN Catcher #27

Ryan Jeffers will not start on Thursday against the Rangers.

It’s just a standard day off for Jeffers with a day game after a night game. Christian Vazquez will catch and bat ninth, while Trevor Larnach will be moved to designated hitter so that Carson McCusker can get a start in right field and bat seventh.

Rotoworld

Shohei Ohtani

LAD Starting Pitcher #17
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Shohei Ohtani (knee) remains in the mix to start against the Tigers on Sunday.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts didn’t rule out the possibility that Ohtani could take the ball against Detroit this weekend but he’ll need to make it through another throwing session this week before that decision is made. The 32-year-old two-way superstar hasn’t pitched in a game setting since early July due to a knee issue.
- George Bissell

Injury

Source: Jack Harris

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Adley Rutschman

BOS Catcher #31
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Adley Rutschman is out of the lineup for Tuesday’s game against the Marlins.

Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy told reporters he’s not concerned after Rutschman felt something in his right elbow on an awkward swing during Monday’s series opener in Miami. It sounds like a precautionary day off, but fantasy managers should pay attention to his status for the remainder of the week.
- George Bissell

Injury

Source: Christopher Smith

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Tony Gonsolin

KC Starting Pitcher
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Tony Gonsolin (elbow) will make a minor league rehab start for Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.

Gonsolin signed a one-year contract with Kanas City earlier this month. He’s working his way back from last year’s internal brace procedure on his elbow. There’s a chance he’s able to make it back before the end of the regular season, but he’s unlikely to offer any semblance of fantasy value.
- George Bissell

Injury

Source: Kansas City Royals

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Ryan Helsley

BAL Relief Pitcher #21
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Ryan Helsey (elbow) progressed to throwing a bullpen session last weekend.

Helsley told reporters he’s aiming to make it back to Baltimore before the end of the season, but he’s going to be racing against the clock to make it happen. The Orioles are making it work with a closer-by-committee approach with Andrew Kittredge, Rico Garcia and Yennier Cano splitting the closer role.
- George Bissell

Injury

Source: Andy Kostka

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Jackson Holliday

BAL 2nd Baseman #7
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Jackson Holliday is hitting leadoff on Tuesday against the Cardinals.

Holliday gets a rare opportunity atop Baltimore’s lineup against left-handed starter Matthew Liberatore. The 22-year-old former top prospect has settled in as the club’s top-of-the-order table-setter since mid-August, but is hitting just .156 (5-for-32) over his last eight games.
- George Bissell

Source: MLB.com

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Ezequiel Tovar

COL Shortstop #14
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Ezequiel Tovar (wrist) is out of the lineup for Tuesday’s game against the Nationals.

It’s a bit surprising that Tovar hasn’t hit the injured list after exiting Monday’s series opener against the Nationals with a left wrist strain. It’ll be Ryan Ritter taking over at shortstop in his absence.
- George Bissell

Injury

Source: MLB.com
Ryan Ritter
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Robert Gasser

MIL Starting Pitcher #54
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Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Robert Gasser is available out of the bullpen this week.

Murphy added that Gasser and Shane Drohan are expected to start against the Rangers this weekend. There are a bunch of variables to consider when it comes to Milwaukee’s rotation heading into the final month of the season, but it sounds like both Gasser and Drohan will get at least one more turn through before any changes are made.
- George Bissell

Source: Curt Hogg

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Keider Montero

DET Starting Pitcher #54
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Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Keider Montero is on track to start against the Dodgers on Saturday.

Montero will be pitching on extra rest after experiencing some fatigue coming out of his last start against the Pirates last week. It doesn’t sound like there is a high level of concern at the moment.
- George Bissell

Injury

Source: Evan Woodbery

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James Outman

DET Center Fielder #43
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Tigers sent OF James Outman outright to Triple-A Toledo.

Outman wound up passing through waivers unclaimed this time after being designated for assignment by Detroit over the weekend. The 29-year-old has hit just .172 (27-for-157) with five homers and six steals in 94 games between the Tigers and Twins this season.
- George Bissell

Transaction

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Joe Espada

HOU Manager
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Astros owner Jim Crane told the media a decision on manager Joe Espada’s future will be made after the season.

Crane confirmed that Espada, who has only a few weeks left on his contract, will finish the season as the club’s manager. It certainly sounds like the Astros are going to move in a different direction after parting ways with general manager Dana Brown earlier this week. It’s pretty common for a new president of baseball operations to pick their own manager instead of bringing back an incumbent.
- George Bissell

Source: Matt Kawahara

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