Yainer Diaz #21

Yainer’s first name is pronounced as “YIGH-ner” with the first syllable (YIGH) rhyming with the word sigh...according to Yainer, the Y in his first name is pronounced at the midway point between a hard Y and a soft J, but not close to a hard J...Yainer was born, raised and currently resides in the offseason in Azua, Dominican Republic...Azua is on the southern coast of the Dominican, about a 90-minute drive straight west from the nation’s capital of Santo Domingo...Diaz was originally signed out of Azua by the Cleveland organization on Dec. 7, 2016, at the age of 18...would play parts of five seasons with Cleveland prior to his trade to Houston in 2021...At the 2021 trading deadline, the Astros were looking for relief help and made three trades to bolster their bullpen, acquiring RHP Phil Maton from the Guardians, RHP Yimi Garcia from the Marlins, and RHP Kendall Graveman and RHP Rafael Montero from the Mariners...Diaz was acquired along with Maton from Cleveland and by most media was considered just a footnote in the deal...After just a year in the Astros system, Diaz blossomed into a prospect and earned the club’s 2022 Minor League Player of the Year honors...he enters the 2023 season ranking as the club’s third overall prospect, per MLB.com...Added to the Astros 40-man roster on Sept. 1, 2022 and accrued 35 days of Major League service last year...traveled with the club throughout the postseason, but did not appear on a postseason roster...enters 2023 as a rookie.

2022

Hit .125 (1x8) with a double and an RBI in six games for the Astros, in what was his MLB debut...Had a banner 2022 Minor League season, earning the Astros Minor League Player of the Year honors... was also named an MiLB.com Organizational ALLSTAR and played in the Futures Game...Combined to hit .306 (136x445) with 22 doubles, four triples, 25 homers, 96 RBI and an .898 OPS between the Double A and Triple A levels...reached career highs in homers and games...Was selected to the Major League roster on Sept. 1 and made his MLB debut on Sept. 2 at LAA, going 0x3 with a walk and an RBI...recorded his only MLB hit on Sept. 20 at TB, a double off RHP Javy Guerra...Was active on the Astros roster for the entirety of September, accruing 35 days of service...stayed with the club through the Postseason, but was not on an active roster for any round.