The Houston Astros offense struggled for long stretches last season, and injuries played a major role. However, multiple position players failed to produce consistently when it was needed. One of those players was the catcher, Yainer Díaz.
Yainer Díaz’s Next Step: What the Astros Need From Him in 2026
When the Astros officially handed Díaz the starting catcher role in 2024, expectations soared for his bat and offensive impact. Houston had veteran Martin Maldonado manning the position since late 2019, and with his career winding down, it was time to make a transition.
Astros fans grew frustrated with Maldy’s lack of offense, even though he brought experience and invaluable game-calling. Most fans wanted Díaz to take the reins with his power bat, and he did. The Astros acquired Diaz in 2021 as part of the Myles Straw trade with the Cleveland Guardians.
Diaz Rises Through Astros Ranks
Houston received the young catcher along with reliever Phil Maton, a move that ended up benefiting the Astros greatly. Maton was one of the high-end relievers for the Astros in the 2021 postseason and remained a big bullpen piece through 2023.
Diaz broke onto the big-league scene in 2023, appearing in 104 games. His bat quickly drew attention, as he produced as a pinch-hitter while filling in at first base and designated hitter. Díaz was one of the back-up catchers and impressed every time he was in the starting lineup.
The Breakout for Yainer Díaz
Diaz wasn’t seen as a big name when first acquired in the trade, but now has star potential behind the plate for the Astros. The Dominican hit for a .282 average and .846 OPS in 355 plate appearances, while blasting 23 home runs and 60 RBIs. Diaz looked to be a real talent as someone who could be a reliable catcher, but also be a really good offensive player that combines power and discipline. He only struck out 74 times that year.
2024 was a productive year for the 5-foot-11, 195-lb catcher, with 84 RBI along with a .299 average. While his OPS went down to .766, Diaz logged nearly 600 plate appearances. He still hit 16 home runs, but struck out 107 times. That is the one part of his offensive game that needs a lot of work. Astros fans were still quite high on their catcher as someone who could bat in the heart of the lineup while managing their pitching staff.
Not Good Enough in 2025
Expectations for Diaz remained high heading into last season, and ultimately, he did not completely live up to that. While he did a solid job managing the pitching staff despite constant injuries and changes to the starting rotation, his bat regressed.
Diaz was just a .256 hitter in 2025, while his OPS was just barely average at .701. He only drove in 70 runs and hit just 20 home runs in 143 games. Strikeouts continued to be an issue with 95 of them in 542 at-bats. This was the worst season of his career and was frustrating for fans to watch at times due to his lack of discipline. Diaz was swinging at pitches wildly out of the zone and only had a .284 on-base percentage.
Given his key role, especially with all the injuries, he underperformed. The Astros counted on him as one of the better bats, and it just didn’t look like that last year. Clearly, his plate approach has to change and needs to be less aggressive. There is no doubt Diaz brings great power, and when he connects, the baseball goes a long way. Houston would ideally like to see him get on base some more and find other ways to score besides the long ball.
According to Baseball Savant, Diaz struggled most with chase rate and walk%. He ranked extremely poorly with a 44% chase rate and just a 3.5% walk rate. It shows why his OBP is so low. Both those numbers have to improve.
More on Diaz’s Struggles
All his marks in 2025 were all around 30 points lower than his MLB career averages. Diaz also needs to improve his defense as a catcher. His seven passed balls were tied for fourth most in the AL. While he isn’t expected to be “Machete” in catching runners, his caught stealing percentage was around 80%, good for 16th in MLB. The Astros hope he builds on that progress.
The Astros went through a complete change on the offensive coaching staff, hiring Victor Rodriguez as the new hitting coach. It will be interesting to see if Diaz can get back to his best under new leadership. Diaz will also be participating in the World Baseball Classic for the Dominican Republic in March. That will be a great opportunity for him to further grow. For the Astros to ultimately be an elite offense, Diaz must get things going in 2026. Houston was swinging out of their shoes, and it starts with Diaz to be more disciplined.
Main Photo Credits: William Liang-Imagn Images