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Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz had a terrible start to the 2025 season. After a stellar campaign in 2024, Diaz was hitting 143/.182/.222 earlier this season and looked completely lost at the plate. The end of April brought some modest improvement, but few would have thought that Diaz would be enjoying the month of May the way he has through the first 11 days.
After showing signs of "figuring things out" at the end of last month, Astros fans were hoping to see some measure of improvement from Diaz once the calendar flipped to May. Diaz, however, has exceeded every expectation so far, and it couldn't have come a better time. The Astros have needed all the help they can get on offense.
Yainer Diaz's May heater is keeping the Astros in the running right now
There is a lot of uncertainty around Houston at the moment, especially when it comes to the lineup. Yordan Alvarez is currently on the IL, the face of the franchise Jose Altuve is banged up, and multiple key pieces of the team's offense have struggled to get going this season. As improbably good as Jake Meyers has been, the Astros needed someone else to step.
And step up Diaz has. As of May 12, Diaz has appeared in nine games this month and is currently slashing .368/.400/.579 with a pair of homers during that span. On Sunday, his three-run homer got the Astros' offense going against the Cincinnati Reds and led to a breezy victory. By all accounts, Diaz has been the difference maker in May that a lot of people were hoping he would in 2025.
Right now, the Astros are hanging on by the skin of their teeth. The AL West is looking like it could be a real battle with the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers — even the Athletics are playing well. At 20-19, Houston is in the mix, but their position is tenuous having only won four of their last 10 games. Without Diaz's hot streak the last couple of weeks, one wonders how bleak the picture could have been.