Yainer

Diaz

Diaz has been sidelined since May 4th with an oblique strain, and Javier has been out since April 8th with a shoulder strain. Diaz will likely need to make a handful of starts behind the plate before being activated, but that could come by early next week. Javier will likely need until at least early July before he becomes an option for the Astros’ rotation.

The 27-year-old backstop has been shelved since the beginning of May due to a left oblique strain. It’s not yet known how many games he’ll need behind the dish before he’s cleared to rejoin the Astros, but it sounds like it’s coming soon. Barring any setbacks, he should be back with the Astros before the end of next week.

Diaz heads to the shelf after suffering an oblique strain prior to Monday’s series opener against the Dodgers with Astros manager Joe Espada telling reporters he’s going to be out for awhile. The 27-year-old slugging backstop has gotten off to an ice-cold start at the dish, hitting .248/.264/.356 with two homers and 14 RBI in 26 games this season. Fantasy managers in shallow mixed leagues can safely move on to more exciting alternatives.

Diaz was scratched from Monday’s lineup with a left abdominal injury. The exact severity of the injury, and a definitive return timetable, remain undisclosed. There should be a clearer update on his status prior to Tuesday’s contest. Fantasy managers should anticipate a multi-week absence, even in a best-case scenario.

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.

Diaz singled and scored a run as part of the Astros’ five-run uprising off of Brandon Young in the opening inning. He then added on with an RBI single in the fourth that made it a 10-0 ballgame. His bat has started to show signs of life over the past couple of weeks as Diaz is now hitting .250/.268/.359 with a pair of homers and 14 RBI on the season.

Diaz gave the Astros their only run of the game with a solo shot to left off Logan Gilbert. It’s the first homer of the season for Diaz, and he’s reached 20 roundtrippers in two of his last three seasons.

Diaz reached on an infield single to start the third inning and scored the Astros’ first run on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Yordan Alvarez. He then drove in a run of his own with an RBI double off of J.T. Ginn in the ninth inning that pulled the Astros to within seven runs at 11-4. With his two-hit attack, he’s now hitting .227/.280/.273 with zero homers, four RBI and a 6/2 K/BB ratio through his first 25 plate appearances on the season.

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.

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.