Astros fans’ calls to replace Yainer Diaz seem to be ignoring one key variable

Baseball fans can be fickle, especially when it comes to players on their own team. One slump or even a single bad performance in a big spot will have plenty of self-professed "experts" calling for a player's head. Unfortunately for Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz, his early career success hasn't made him immune from that exact sort of treatment.

From 2022-2024, Diaz had been a monster at the plate with a combined .793 OPS including a .291 batting average across 258 games. Given the lower offensive bar for catchers, Diaz was on track to becoming one of the league's best backstops. Unfortunately, his 2025 season has not gone according to plan, and now, at least some Astros fans are beginning to question his role as the team's primary catcher.

The Athletic's Chandler Rome released a Q&A with fans earlier this week, and one fan asked if there was any momentum towards starting Victor Caratini over Diaz. While not a completely crazy notion, it does seem to ignore some key variables.

Replacing Yainer Diaz at catcher is anything but a simple decision for the Astros

There's no ignoring the fact that Diaz has stunk it up this season. Despite having a couple big moments at the plate this season, Diaz has a .237/.271/.386 line which equates to an 83 OPS+ (that's bad). It's also true, given his framing lacking and his blocking, that Diaz has never been an ideal defensive catcher.

Unfortunately, there are some problems with the idea of benching Diaz in favor of Caratini. While the theory of a switch-hitting catcher playing most of the time sounds nice, in his piece, Rome pointed out that Houston wants to keep Caratini healthy. When Caratini's playing time increased, his offense dropped off in a big way.

The other — arguably more significant issue — is the impact on the Astros' starting pitching staff. For as much grief as Diaz is receiving, he's caught the majority of games in 2025 and Houston's starters have thrived with him behind the plate. Of particular importance is Hunter Brown, who looks like a legitimate Cy Young contender. Diaz has caught every single one of Brown's starts this season. His framing may not be good, but his pitchers clearly still do well with him calling games.

At some point, Diaz has to start hitting again. If not, giving Caratini more playing time in the short-term could make sense. If Diaz can't turn a corner, Walker Janek's progress in the minor leagues will be the next big question on the minds of Astros. Gven how good he has been in recent years, Diaz deserves a little more leeway at this time.

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