Martín Maldonado - Page 2 - MLB News, Rumors, & Updates

'The Astros are inevitable' – Ben Verlander reacts to Astros Game 5 win vs. Rangers | Flippin' Bats

OCTOBER 21, 2023 • FOX SPORTS

'One game at a time' — Martín Maldonado after Astros defeat Rangers in Game 3 of ALCS

OCTOBER 19, 2023 • FOX SPORTS

Pads lead Wednesday Maldonado went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 8-3 win over the Mariners.

Impact Maldonado is hitting .224 (11-for-49) with four homers and eight RBI over 16 games in September. That's an improvement on his .193 batting average for the year, and he's up to 15 homers this season. The catcher has added a mediocre .616 OPS, 36 RBI, 33 runs scored and 12 doubles through 114 contests in 2023.

SEPTEMBER 28, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Sitting again Sunday Maldonado is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Impact It's the second straight game on the bench for Maldonado, though he's still started behind the plate in four of Houston's past seven contests. Yainer Diaz will step in to catch for Hunter Brown on Sunday.

SEPTEMBER 24, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Heads to bench Maldonado will be on the bench for Saturday's game against the Royals.

Impact Maldonado is hitting .189/.258/.343 on the season and has graded out five runs worse than any other catcher at framing pitches (per Statcast). Even with rookie backstop Yainer Diaz breaking out to the tune of a .286/.310/.551 slash line, Maldonado remains Houston's primary catcher, though his off day Saturday means he only has a 5-4 advantage in starts over the last nine games.

SEPTEMBER 23, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Receives Tuesday off Maldonado is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against Baltimore.

Impact Maldonado started the previous two games and will head to the bench for Tuesday's contest. The veteran backstop has a .924 OPS over his last nine games but still has a .191/.2612/.347 slash line for the campaign. Yainer Diaz will take over behind the plate and bat seventh.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Not in Wednesday's lineup Maldonado is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's tilt versus the Athletics, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Impact Astros manager Dusty Baker is going with the stronger bat for this one in Yainer Diaz. Maldonado had started six of the last seven contests for the Astros.

SEPTEMBER 13, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Takes seat Sunday Maldonado is not in the lineup Sunday against the Padres.

Impact Yainer Diaz will start at catcher as Michael Brantley serves as Houston's designated hitter. Maldonado contributed an RBI single to Saturday's 7-5 defeat of San Diego but is slashing just .187/.254/.337 across 366 total plate appearances this year.

SEPTEMBER 10, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Swats pair of homers in rout Maldonado went 2-for-5 with two two-run home runs in Tuesday's 14-1 victory over the Rangers.

Impact Maldonado played a key role in the Astros offensive barrage Tuesday, accounting for two of the team's six home runs on the day. The catcher plated Mauricio Dubon on both long balls, with each coming off opposing pitcher Dane Dunning. Over his last six appearances, Maldonado is batting 7-for-23 (.304) with three homers, six total RBI and four total runs scored.

SEPTEMBER 6, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Receives Tuesday off Maldonado is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Red Sox.

Impact Maldonado started behind the last two games and will head to the bench Tuesday after going 3-for-10 with a solo home run and four strikeouts. Yainer Diaz will catch for rookie righty J.P. France.

AUGUST 29, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Homers in blowout win Maldonado went 2-for-4 with a solo home run during Sunday's 17-4 win over the Tigers.

Impact Maldonado swatted his 11th home run of the season in the seventh to put the Astros out front 7-0. He now has two home runs over his last three games and has an RBI in four of his last five. The 36-year-old is having another abysmal year at the plate, striking out at a career-high 34.2 percent rate and slashing just .183/.252/.329 with 27 RBI, 26 runs and a 24:114 BB:K in 333 plate appearances.

AUGUST 28, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Not in lineup Maldonado will not start Saturday against the Tigers.

Impact Maldonado finds himself on the bench for the second time in three games. Yainer Diaz will take over behind the plate.

AUGUST 26, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Reaches 10-homer mark Maldonado went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 7-5 extra-inning loss to the Red Sox.

Impact Maldonado is hitting .234 (11-for-47) in August, with four extra-base hits and eight RBI across 15 contests. That's a better average than his .180 mark for the year, and he's at a poor .568 OPS even with the improved power output of late. The veteran catcher has added 26 RBI, 25 runs scored, 10 homers and 10 doubles through 93 contests as the Astros' top backstop.

AUGUST 24, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Moves to bench Sunday Maldonado is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners.

Impact Yainer Diaz will get the nod behind the plate while Maldonado rests after catching each of the last three contests. Despite going hitless during that three-game stretch to bring his batting average down to .172 for the season, Maldonado still appears to be the Astros' preferred backstop due mostly to his skills as a pitch framer and game caller.

AUGUST 20, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

On bench Tuesday Maldonado is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Marlins.

Impact Maldonado has a .715 OPS through 28 at-bats in August and will take a seat Tuesday after starting the previous two contests. Yainer Diaz will step in behind the plate to catch for Cristian Javier.

AUGUST 15, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Sitting Saturday Maldonado will hit the bench for the second time in three games Saturday against the Angels.

Impact Yordan Alvarez's return from an oblique injury in late July bumped Yainer Diaz from the designated hitter spot and into more of a competition with Maldonado behind the plate. Prior to Alvarez's return, Maldonado started 75 of 102 games behind the plate (74 percent). With Alvarez back in the fold, Maldonado has gotten the nod 10 times in 16 games, or 62.5 percent of the time. That's still enough to make him the clear primary backstop, but his .181/.249/.317 slash line leaves him with minimal fantasy value even in that role.

AUGUST 12, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Takes seat Wednesday Maldonado is not in the lineup Wednesday versus the Guardians.

Impact Yainer Diaz will start behind the plate and bat eighth after Maldonado caught Framber Valdez's no-hitter Tuesday night against Cleveland. Maldonado is the better defensive option of the two Houston backstops, but Diaz carries far more offensive upside.

AUGUST 2, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Gets Monday off Maldonado is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Guardians.

Impact Yainer Diaz will get the nod behind the plate in the series opener while Maldonado rests. The 36-year-old started at catcher in five of the Astros' six games last week, going 4-for-15 with a solo home run and a double.

JULY 31, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Day off Saturday Maldonado isn't starting Saturday against the Rays, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports

Impact Maldonado is 4-for-11 with a home run across his last four games, and he'll catch a breather Saturday. Yainer Diaz will take over behind the plate and bat eighth.

JULY 29, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Receives rest day Maldonado is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics.

Impact Yainer Diaz will step in behind the plate while Maldonado rests in the series finale. The veteran backstop started at catcher in both of the past two games and went 0-for-7 with four strikeouts, bringing his season-long batting average down to a career-worst .163.

JULY 23, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Takes seat Thursday Maldonado is not in the lineup Thursday at Oakland.

Impact Yainer Diaz will start at catcher and Corey Julks will serve as the Astros' designated hitter as they open a four-game set versus the Athletics. Maldonado continues to offer solid defense behind the plate at age 36, but he's slashing just .168/.244/.295 on the year.

JULY 20, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Sitting Tuesday Maldonado will sit Tuesday versus the Rockies.

Impact Maldonado will get a breather after he went 2-for-12 with a double, two RBI and a run scored while starting all three of the Astros' games during their series with Angels. Yainer Diaz will take over behind the plate and bat sixth in the series opener with Colorado.

JULY 18, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Pops go-ahead homer Maldonado went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Mariners.

Impact Maldonado provided a clutch hit, giving Houston the lead with his eighth-inning solo shot. Prior to Saturday, he had gone 0-for-18 with one walk over his last six games. The catcher is batting a career-low .169 with a .540 OPS, six homers, 14 RBI and 16 runs scored through 66 contests. He hasn't lost much playing time despite his poor numbers, as the Astros appear content to let Yainer Diaz get the bulk of his at-bats at designated hitter while Yordan Alvarez (oblique) is out.

JULY 9, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Martin Maldonado's homer in eighth gives Houston Astros 3-2 win over Seattle Mariners

Martín Maldonado hit a tiebreaking solo home run in the eighth inning to lift the Astros to a 3-2 victory over the Mariners.

JULY 9, 2023

Martin Maldonado's homer in eighth gives Houston Astros 3-2 win over Seattle Mariners

Maldonado saves the day with go-ahead 8th-inning blast in Astros' win HOUSTON -- Catcher Martín Maldonado slugged a go-ahead homer into the Crawford Boxes off reliever Andrés Muñoz in the eighth inning to send...

JULY 9, 2023 • MLB.COM

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'The Astros are inevitable' – Ben Verlander reacts to Astros Game 5 win vs. Rangers | Flippin' Bats

'One game at a time' — Martín Maldonado after Astros defeat Rangers in Game 3 of ALCS

Martin Maldonado's homer in eighth gives Houston Astros 3-2 win over Seattle Mariners