Yainer Díaz

Yainer Radhames Díaz

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 185 lb.

• Debut September 2, 2022

• Born September 21, 1998 in Azua, Azua D.R.

BR page

Biographical Information

Catcher Yainier Díaz played for the American League team in the 2022 Futures Game. He was obtained by the Houston Astros from the Cleveland Indians along with P Phil Maton in return for OF Myles Straw on July 30, 2021. He made his big league debut for the Astros on September 2, 2022, starting at DH against the Los Angeles Angels, going 0 for 3 with a walk and an RBI and overall went 1 for 8 in 6 games in his cup of coffee.

In 2023, Díaz started to take over as the starting catcher for the Astros, gradually displacing long-time fixture Martin Maldonado, who was still excellent defensively, but whose bat had been dormant for a number of years already. The Astros were willing to take a bit of a hit defensively, because Díaz outperformed Maldonado with the bat by leaps and bounds: he slugged 22 doubles and 23 homers, batted .282 in 104 games, drove in 60 runs and ended up with an OPS+ of 129. He started 42 games behind the plate, out of 60 appearances at the position, and36 at DH. He was voted to the 2023 MLB All-Rookie Team. In the postseason, his performance was more Maldonado-like, as he was limited to one hit in 14 at-bats, and that hit was a single.

On April 1, 2024, he was behind the dish when fellow Dominican Ronel Blanco pitched the 17th no-hitter in team history, a 10-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Yainer made a key contribution on both sides as he homered twice in the game. By then, he was the undisputed starter for Houston, as they had let Maldonado go at the end of the previous season in order to give the regular job to Yainer. On August 19th, he hit the first walk-off homer of his career, a solo blast off Kenley Jansen of the Boston Red Sox in the bottom of the 9th to give Houston a 5-4 win, its 11th victory in 12 games. He hit .299 in 148 games, with 16 homers and 84 RBIs, with an OPS+ of 115. He then went 2 for 7 in the Astros' loss to the Detroit Tigers in the Wild Card Series.

On April 11, 2025, he became the first Astros player to hit a grand slam since José Abreu had hit one on September 6, 2023. It came as part of a six-run 5th inning in a 14-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels.

Notable Achievements

• 2023 MLB All-Rookie Team
• 20-Home Run Seasons: 1 (2023)

Further Reading

• Brian McTaggart: "Astros' first grand slam since 2023 sparks 14-run romp", mlb.com, April 12, 2025. [1]
• Jeremy Rakes: "Diaz helps Astros overcome 4-error game with walk-off blast", mlb.com, August 20, 2024. [2]

Related Sites

• Yainer Diaz on mlb.com