Yainer’s first name is pronounced as “YIGH-ner,” with the first syllable (YIGH) rhyming with the word "sigh"...Diaz was originally signed by the Cleveland organization on Dec. 7, 2016, at the age of 18...Was considered an older signing, considering most amateur players from the Dominican officially sign at the age of 16...Had a roundabout journey to affiliated baseball after quitting the game at the age of 13...Was encouraged by his father, Radhames, and his older brother, Issael, to pursue a professional playing career...Diaz credits his brother, Issael, with his return to the game...Sadly, Issael did not see Yainer’s Major League success, after passing away from cancer in 2022 at the age of 33, just prior to Yainer’s first MLB action...Diaz also has two younger brothers, including Victor, who appeared in the Astros' Minor League system from 2023-24...Victor, who is four years younger than Yainer, was originally signed by the Phillies in 2018 as an amateur and joined the Astros organization in July of 2022...Victor played his 2024 season with the Astros Florida Complex League affiliate and Low A Fayetteville...Yainer played in parts of five seasons with Cleveland prior to his trade to Houston in 2021...At the 2021 trade deadline, the Astros were looking for relief help and acquired RHP Phil Maton from the Guardians in exchange for OF Myles Straw...Diaz was acquired along with Maton from Cleveland and by most media was considered just a footnote in the deal...After just a year in the Astros' system, Diaz blossomed into a prospect and was named the club’s 2022 Minor League Player of the Year...A year later, he was in the Majors for the entirety of the 2023 season and went on to earn the Astros’ starting catcher role in 2024...Lauded for his ability to make hard contact, Diaz posted a hard-hit percentage (batted balls with an exit velocity of 95-mph-or greater) of 47.5 in 2024, which ranked second on the Astros and in the 85th percentile among MLB players...Added to the Astros' 40-man roster on Sept. 1, 2022 and has been with the MLB club since that date...Is currently signed to a one-year contract for the 2025 season...With just over two years of service, is under club control through at least the 2028 season.
2024
Took over as the Astros' primary catcher and was one of the game’s top offensive talents at the position, batting .299 (175-for-585) with 70 runs scored, 29 doubles, three triples, 16 home runs, 84 RBI and a .766 OPS (.325 OBP/.441 SLG) through 148 games...In the AL, he ranked fifth in batting average and tied for sixth in multi-hit games (50)…Defensively, he ranked fifth in the AL with 20 catcher caught stealings...Among AL catchers, he ranked first in hits (119), third in doubles (19), tied for third in RBI (59) and third in OPS (.771)…Was a finalist for the AL Silver Slugger Award at catcher...Set career highs in batting average, doubles, triples, RBI and walks (24)…Started a career-high 99 games at catcher...Also set a career high with 11 starts at first base...Set the Astros’ single-season records for a player whose primary position is catcher in hits, runs and RBI...Batted .337 (101-for-300) at Daikin Park, which was the second-highest home batting average in the AL, behind only KC IF Bobby Witt Jr., who batted. 382 at his home ballpark...Logged 12 hits through the first seven games of the season, which were the most by an Astro since IF Jose Altuve in 2018 (also 12 hits)...His five multi-hit games through the first seven games of a season were tied for the most in Astros history, along with Jose Altuve (2017) and Lance Berkman (2004)…Made his second career Opening Day roster (2023-24), both coming with Houston...Went 3-for-4 with an RBI on Opening Day on March 28 vs. NYY...Became the first Astro since OF Michael Brantley (April 1, 2021 at OAK) to record a three-hit game on Opening Day...Was behind the plate for all nine innings of RHP Ronel Blanco’s no-hitter on April 1 vs. TOR...Also hit two home runs in the game, becoming the first catcher in MLB history to have a multi-homer game and catch a no-hitter in the same game...It also marked the third instance in MLB history in which a pitch-catcher battery of players born in the Dominican Republic completed a no-hitter...Homered in four straight games from June 3-7...Became the first Astro since IF Yuli Gurriel (five games from July 2-7, 2019) to homer in at least four consecutive games...Went 4-for-4 with a home run on July 30 vs. PIT...Matched his single-game career high in hits, also doing so on June 5, 2023 at TOR...Stole the first base of his career on June 20 at CWS...Recorded his longest homer of the season and the second-longest of his career with a 448-foot shot on Aug. 9 at BOS...Hit his first career walk-off home run, a solo shot in the ninth inning, on Aug. 19 vs. BOS off RHP Kenley Jansen...Had moved to catcher from first base to begin the ninth inning, marking the eighth time in Astros history a catcher hit a walk-off HR (last: Evan Gattis on Aug. 26, 2016 vs. TB)...Matched his career high with a 10-game hitting streak from Aug. 17-26...Batted .349 (15-for-43) with four HR, five RBI and a .992 OPS during the streak...Made his second career postseason roster and started both games at catcher in the Astros’ ALWC vs. DET...Batted .286 (2-for-7) with an RBI and a walk through the two-game series.
2023
In his first full Major League season, the 25-year-old backstop had one of the most prolific power campaigns from an Astros rookie...Batted .282 (100x355) with 23 home runs, 60 RBI, 22 doubles and an .846 OPS (.308 OBP/.538 SLG) in 110 games...Named the Astros Rookie of the Year by the Houston Chapter of the BBWAA...His 23 homers were the second-most home runs by an Astros rookie in a single season, trailing only Yordan Alvarez who had 27 HR in 2019...Became the seventh Astros rookie to reach 20-plus homers in a season...Made 42 starts at catcher, 36 at DH and seven starts at 1B...Of his 23 HR this season, he hit 14 as a catcher...Tied C Mitch Meluskey (2000) for the most homers by a rookie catcher in franchise history with 14...Became the eighth Astros rookie to reach 10+ home runs prior to the All-Star Break (10 HR), with SS Jeremy Peña (13 HR) the last do so in ‘22...Ranked tied for eighth in the AL in catcher caught stealing (13), despite only making 42 starts at catcher...Among AL rookies with 350+ plate appearances, ranked first in slugging percentage (.538), second in batting average, second in OPS (.846), tied for third in HR, sixth in extra-base hits (45) and tied for fifth in RBI...Batted .328 (61x186) with 14 home runs, 35 RBI and a .972 OPS in five games at home this year...Made his first career Opening Day roster this season...Was ranked as the Astros No. 2 prospect by MLBPipeline.com in its pre-season rankings...Made his first career start at 1B on May 10 at LAA...Went 4x5 with two doubles and run scored on June 5 at TOR...was his first career four-hit game...Became the 12th Astros player in franchise history to record a four-hit game within their first 31 career MLB games and first since OF Jose Siri on Sept. 13, 2021 at TEX...Recorded the first multi-homer game of his career on July 5 vs. COL...Was the first multi-homer game from an Astros rookie catcher since C Mitch Meluskey did so in 2000...Recorded his first career walk-off hit with an RBI single on July 24 vs. TEX...Hit his 1st career pinch-hit home run on Aug. 27 at DET...Was the first pinch-hit homer by an Astros player whose primary position is catcher since Jason Castro on Sept. 23, 2021, at LAA...In the postseason, hit .071 (1x14), making one start at DH (ALDS GM 3 at MIN).
2022
Hit .125 (1x8) with a double and an RBI in six games for the Astros, in what was his MLB debut...Had a banner 2022 Minor League season, earning the Astros Minor League Player of the Year honors... was also named an MiLB.com Organizational ALLSTAR and played in the Futures Game...Combined to hit .306 (136x445) with 22 doubles, four triples, 25 homers, 96 RBI and an .898 OPS between the Double A and Triple A levels...reached career highs in homers and games...Was selected to the Major League roster on Sept. 1 and made his MLB debut on Sept. 2 at LAA, going 0x3 with a walk and an RBI...recorded his only MLB hit on Sept. 20 at TB, a double off RHP Javy Guerra...Was active on the Astros roster for the entirety of September, accruing 35 days of service...stayed with the club through the Postseason, but was not on an active roster for any round.
