The Astros offense has been carried by a handful of hitters through their quest back to .500. But production from catchers at the plate has been poor.
To this point, Yainer Diaz and Christian Vazquez have occupied the position behind the plate accounting for over 90% of games but it seems now that Vazquez is getting more playing time than Diaz. When are the Astros at their best when it comes to the backstop position?
Vazquez, 35, has started 57 games behind the plate. The Puerto Rican born catcher started the season hot with a .920 OPS through the end of April. Since being one of the team's bright spots during a difficult March/April for the team, he has a .179 average and a .493 OPS.. He posted four multi-hit games in his first seven starts but since then he has five in 50 starts. He's hit one home run since May 25.
Jul 10, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz (21) : Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Diaz, 27, came into the season as the Astros number one option. He had a .760 OPS since entering the league before this season. His best year came in his second season, 2023, in which he hit .282 with an .846 OPS. He posted at least 2.7 WAR each of the last three seasons before this one. Last year his offensive numbers took a downturn but his defensive metrics improved. This year he is hitting ,233 with a .637 OPS That may play a smaller factor this season with the ABS challenge system in place.
Before being designated for assignment on June 4 off the 40-man roster and later outrighted to Sugar Land, the Astros used Cesar Salazar sparingly during Diaz's stint on the injured list.
Salazar spent parts of four season with the club never playing in more than 13 games. Salazar only got 22 plate appearances in 2026 and hit .056 with a .283 OPS. The remaining backstop, current Sugar Land catcher Collin Price, was used sparingly during his 11 games on the active roster back in June. He remains the third catcher on the 40-man roster. The Astros were 2-8 in the pair's combined starts
Houston may stick with playing Vazquez more because of things that are hard to quantify. He has positive defensive catching metrics compared to Diaz's below average numbers. Diaz's hitting numbers are just slightly better than Vazquez, but Diaz also has the last three seasons of good numbers to fall back on. They are both right handed bats who hit about 50 OPS points better against lefties.
Despite that, there is discrepancy in win/loss record in the pairs starts. The Astros have a 36-21 record when Vazquez starts and a 20-28 record when Diaz starts. This may all come down to who calls a better game and which player the pitchers are more comfortable with. Catching is almost always an offensive liability but the Astros might be better sticking with the cold bat and sturdy catching of Christian Vazquez.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/astros/onsi as Astros Face Tough Decisions Behind the Plate as Trade Deadline Approaches .
