Yainer Díaz
Yainer Radhames Díaz (born September 21, 1998) is a Dominican professional baseball catcher for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB).
| Yainer Díaz | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Houston Astros – No. 21 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: September 21, 1998 Azua, Dominican Republic | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 2, 2022, for the Houston Astros | |
| MLB statistics (through May 14, 2023) | |
| Batting average | .204 |
| Home runs | 1 |
| Runs batted in | 5 |
| Teams | |
| |
From Azua, Dominican Republic, Díaz signed with the Cleveland Indians as an international free agent in 2016. In 2021, he was traded to the Astros, with whom he made his MLB debut in 2022.
Professional career
Yainer Díaz signed with the Cleveland Indians as an international free agent in December 2016.[1] On July 30, 2021, the Indians traded him along with relief pitcher Phil Maton to the Houston Astros for outfielder Myles Straw.[2]
Díaz was promoted to the Triple-A Sugar Land Space Cowboys for the 2022 season, batting .306 with an .898 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) in 486 plate appearances.[3] He was a 2022 All-Star Futures Game selectee.[4] Díaz hit a three-run home run on August 19, 2022, in the sixth inning of the second game a doubleheader versus the Oklahoma City Dodgers in which the Space Cowboys scored 17 runs to set a franchise record.[5]
The Astros called Díaz up to the major league roster on September 1, 2022.[3] He made his major league debut on September 2, 2022, starting as the designated hitter versus the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. He was 0-for-3 with a bases loaded walk for his first run batted in (RBI).[6] He got his first hit, a double, against Javy Guerra of the Tampa Bay Rays in the eighth inning on September 20.[7] Following the regular season, Díaz was named the Houston Astros' Minor League Player of the Year.[8]
On March 28, 2023, it was announced that Díaz had made the Astros’ Opening Day roster, his first such selection.[9] He hit his first major league home run on May 14, 2023, versus Lucas Giolito at Guaranteed Rate Field, leading a 4–3 win over the Chicago White Sox.[10]
References
- "No. 30 Yainer Diaz, C: Cleveland Indians top prospects right now". cleveland.com. April 2, 2020. Archived from the original on November 19, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
- Rome, Chandler (August 6, 2021). "Astros view Yainer Díaz as more than a throw-in". Baseball America. Archived from the original on November 19, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
- Rome, Chandler (September 2, 2022). "Yainer Diaz arrives to help Astros with the stretch run". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
- Van Doren, Kenny (July 17, 2022). "Houston Astros' prospects Brown, Díaz partake in 2022 All-Star Futures Game". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
- Staff report (August 20, 2022). "An out of this world inning: 17 runs, 23 batters and 58 minutes for Sugar Land's Space Cowboys". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
- "McCullers sharp again, pitches into 6th as Astros top Angels". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 2, 2022. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- Lerner, Danielle (September 20, 2022). "Astros' Kyle Tucker reaches 100-RBI mark in win over Rays". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- Press Release (October 4, 2022). "Astros announce 2022 Minor League Players of the Year". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
- Rome, Chandler (March 28, 2023). "Prospects Corey Julks, César Salazar make Astros' roster for opening day". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
- Lerner, Danielle (May 14, 2023). "Astros 4, White Sox 3: Houston caps road trip with series win". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet