MARTÍN MALDONADO NEWS

Resting for day game Maldonado is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.

Impact Maldonado is presumably just getting some routine maintenance after he started behind the plate each of the past three days. Cesar Salazar will pick up his first MLB start in Wednesday's series finale, batting ninth while catching for starting pitcher Cristian Javier.

APRIL 5, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Heads to bench Maldonado is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the White Sox, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

Impact Maldonado started the first two games of the year behind the plate, going 1-for-6 with a walk. Yainer Diaz will catch for Jose Urquidy on Saturday.

APRIL 1, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

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MARCH 15, 2023 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

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FEBRUARY 22, 2023

Fully healthy for spring Maldonado (hernia) confirmed Thursday that he is fully healthy leading into the spring, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Impact Maldonado required hernia surgery in mid-November, but that was three whole months ago at this point. He used the period of rehab and recovery to drop 17 pounds and is preparing to be something close to an everyday presence at catcher this year for the reigning World Series-champion Astros. The 36-year-old hit a career-high 15 home runs over 113 regular-season games in 2022.

FEBRUARY 16, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Undergoes hernia surgery Maldonado underwent surgery Tuesday to repair a sports hernia, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Impact Maldonado played through the injury late in the year, though you wouldn't necessarily be able to tell based on his numbers. His 85 wRC+ in the second half wasn't a strong mark, though it was much better than his 61 wRC+ in the first half. Whether or not the defense-first catcher's spring preparation will be affected by his recovery remains to be seen.

NOVEMBER 15, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Inside the small moment from Martin Maldonado that led to Yordan Alvarez's mammoth World Series-winning home run History will long celebrate the mammoth 450-foot home run by Yordan Alvarez in the sixth inning of Game 6, but that epic World Series moment...

NOVEMBER 6, 2022 • SPORTINGNEWS.COM

Resting in Game 4 Maldonado is out of the lineup Wednesday for Game 4 of the World Series matchup with the Phillies, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Impact Maldonado will take a seat after he was behind the plate for each of the Astros' last four postseason games. Christian Vazquez will catch for starting pitcher Cristian Javier in Game 4.

NOVEMBER 2, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Did Martin Maldonado use an illegal bat? Astros catcher forced to switch after World Series Game 1 Maldonado was using bats from Albert Pujols that the future Hall of Famer had sent over.

OCTOBER 30, 2022 • SPORTINGNEWS.COM

Goes yard Tuesday Maldonado went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 10-0 win over the Phillies.

Impact Maldonado contributed a solo shot in the second inning, accounting for the last of the six runs charged to Phillies starter Ranger Suarez. Over his last seven games, Maldonado has gone just 3-for-19 with nine strikeouts. The catcher has set career highs in homers (15) and RBI (45) in 112 contests this year, but he's slashing only .187/.249/.354 with 40 runs scored and 12 doubles.

OCTOBER 5, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Sitting out Friday Maldonado isn't in the lineup Friday against Tampa Bay.

Impact After going 0-for-7 in Houston's last series against the Diamondbacks, Maldonado will yield catching duties to Christian Vazquez, who will bat eighth. This is the third time Maldonado has sat after making two consecutive starts, so it seems the Astros have fallen into a pattern behind the plate they like going forward.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

On bench Thursday Maldonado isn't starting Thursday against the Orioles.

Impact Maldonado is getting a day off after he went 3-for-4 with a solo home run Wednesday against the Rays. Christian Vazquez will take over behind the plate and bat seventh.

SEPTEMBER 22, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Three hits including homer Maldonado went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's victory over Tampa Bay.

Impact Maldonado ripped two singles prior to going deep for a solo shot off Dusten Knight in the top of the ninth inning. The homer was his 14th of the year and second in his last three games. Maldonado has gone 9-for-22 with two home runs, six RBI and seven runs over his last six games.

SEPTEMBER 22, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Gets breather Monday Maldonado isn't starting Monday against the Rays.

Impact Maldonado was productive Sunday against Oakland, going 4-for-4 with a homer, four runs and four RBI. However, he'll be out of the lineup for the fourth time in the last six games while Christian Vazquez starts behind the dish and bats eighth.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Generates four hits Sunday Maldonado went 4-for-4 with a home run, four runs and four RBI during Sunday's 11-2 win over the Athletics.

Impact Maldonado was out of the lineup for three of the four games leading up to Sunday's matchup, but he helped drive the Astros' offense to the blowout win in the series finale against Oakland. In spite of Sunday's encouraging performance, the 36-year-old has been relatively quiet since the start of September, hitting .233 with a home run, six RBI, five runs, a walk and seven strikeouts over 10 games.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Not starting Saturday Maldonado isn't in the lineup Saturday against the Athletics.

Impact Maldonado went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a strikeout Friday and will retreat to the bench for the third time in the last four games. Christian Vazquez will start behind the dish and bat eighth.

SEPTEMBER 17, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Takes seat Wednesday Maldonado isn't starting Wednesday against the Tigers, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Impact Maldonado is on the bench for the second time in the last four games after he went 1-for-7 with a run and two strikeouts over the last two matchups. Christian Vazquez is starting behind the plate and batting seventh.

SEPTEMBER 14, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Sitting Saturday Maldonado is not in Saturday's lineup against Atlanta, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Impact Maldonado is hitting .257 with two home runs in 12 games this month. Christian Vazquez will start behind the dish and hit sixth.

AUGUST 20, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Sitting out day game Maldonado is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the White Sox.

Impact Even after Houston dealt for an established everyday catcher in Christian Vazquez ahead of the Aug. 2 trade deadline, Maldonado has remained the Astros' No. 1 backstop. Though Vazquez is behind the dish Thursday, Maldonado has dominated the playing time, catching in four of the previous five contests. Aside from popping the occasional home run, Maldonado's fantasy utility is limited, but his defensive acumen and chemistry with the pitching staff should continue to earn him ample opportunities for Houston.

AUGUST 18, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Not in Sunday's lineup Maldonado is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics.

Impact Maldonado has .917 OPS with two home runs and seven RBI through eight games in August as he's maintained the starting role behind the plate despite the acquisition of Christian Vazquez at the trade deadline. However, Vazquez will enter the lineup Sunday and form a battery with Cristian Javier.

AUGUST 14, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Slugs three-run homer Maldonado went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run Thursday against the Rangers.

Impact Maldonado slugged a three-run homer in the second inning to open the scoring for Houston. He now has 12 homers on the season, four of which have come in his last 18 games. Despite Houston's acquisition of Christain Vazquez, Maldonado has started seven out of the 10 games since the trade deadline. Despite his relatively strong stretch recently, Maldonado is still hitting only .187/.252/.370 across 285 plate appearances on the season.

AUGUST 12, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Still getting regular playing time Maldonado went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored Friday against the Guardians.

Impact Despite Houston's acquisition of Christian Vazquez, Maldonado has been in the lineup for three of the last four games. He's been productive in that span, driving in four, scoring three runs and recording a home run and double. Even so, Maldonado is hitting only .184/.245/.360 across 276 plate appearances for the season, and he's likely to lose playing time in the near future.

AUGUST 6, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Homer and double in win Maldonado went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Thursday's 6-0 win over the Guardians.

Impact Maldonado's playing time is on the decline with Christian Vazquez joining the Astros at the trade deadline. That didn't matter Thursday, as Maldonado hit a two-run double and a solo home run for his third multi-hit effort in his last nine games. The veteran catcher is slashing .178/.242/.356 with 11 homers, 33 RBI, 27 runs scored and 11 doubles through 80 contests. Still, fantasy managers shouldn't expect Maldonado to receive much more than two starts a week with a more productive catcher in Vazquez around to handle the starting role.

AUGUST 5, 2022 • ROTOWIRE