Yainer

Diaz

Diaz cut into the Rays’ lead with a two-run homer off Drew Rasmussen in the fourth inning. It was just the fourth home run of the season for the 27-year-old backstop. It’s been a disappointing season so far for Diaz, who missed time due to an oblique injury. He’s hitting .235/.261/.362 with 13 runs scored and 19 RBI across 157 plate appearances.

Alvarez celebrates his 29th birthday by taking a seat for the just the second time all season after going hitless in three consecutive games. It’s his first time out of Houston’s lineup since May 24. The 29-year-old slugger has been arguably the best pure hitter in baseball this season, slashing .314/.427/.619 with an American League-leading 25 homers and 56 RBI through 83 games. His 182 wRC+ is tops in baseball by a considerable margin. It’ll be Yainer Diaz taking a turn at DH with Brice Matthews handling left field.

Diaz rejoins Houston’s lineup for Tuesday’s contest against the Tigers after missing six weeks recovering from an oblique strain. The 27-year-old backstop has gradually faded into fantasy obscurity this season, hitting .248/.264/.356 with two homers and 14 RBI in 26 games prior to the injury.

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.