Maldonado is not in the lineup Thursday against the Angels.
Yainer Diaz will catch for Ronel Blanco and bat ninth as the Astros open a four-game series versus the Halos. Maldonado is slashing just .203/.290/.309 in 140 plate appearances this year, though Diaz hasn't been much better.
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Astros' Martin Maldonado: Resting Sunday
Rotowire
Maldonado is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics.
After starting behind the plate in each of Houston's last three games, Maldonado will get a respite in the series finale. Yainer Diaz will form a battery with starting pitcher Cristian Javier on Sunday.
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Astros' Martin Maldonado: Sitting Tuesday
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Maldonado isn't starting Tuesday against the Brewers.
Maldonado went 2-for-3 with a home run and two runs scored against his former club Monday, earning himself a day off. Yainer Diaz will take over behind the plate Tuesday and bat seventh.
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Astros' Martin Maldonado: Smacks third homer
Rotowire
Maldonado went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and an additional run scored Monday against the Brewers.
Maldonado took Corbin Burnes deep in the second inning to tally his third homer of the season. While he's not known for his bat, he does have at least one hit in 12 of his last 15 games, a span in which he's maintained a .319 average with five RBI and six runs scored. Maldonado's track record suggests that level of success at the plate will not continue, though he should continue to be a regular in the lineup thanks to his strong defense.
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Astros' Martin Maldonado: Takes seat Wednesday
Rotowire
Maldonado is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs.
Maldonado will take a seat after he went hitless over seven at-bats in the first two games of the series. He'll give way to Yainer Diaz, who is catching for starting pitcher J.P. France in the series finale.
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Astros' Martin Maldonado: Bound for bench
Rotowire
Maldonado will sit Saturday against the White Sox.
Maldonado has provided his typical unimpressive performance at the plate this season, slashing .186/.278/.291, but he's nonetheless started 28 of Houston's first 39 games. Cesar Salazar will be the backstop Saturday.
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Astros' Martin Maldonado: Smashes second homer
Rotowire
Maldonado went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's victory over the Angels.
Maldonado hit one of the more noteworthy homers of the season, as he smoked a two-strike slider from Shohei Ohtani 407 feet. Maldonado has six hits in his last six games after posting just eight knocks in his first 20 games. Despite the recent success, he's not a recommended fantasy option and could lose playing time to rookie Yainer Diaz throughout the season.
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Astros' Martin Maldonado: Gets day off Monday
Rotowire
Maldonado is out of the starting lineup for Monday's game against the Angels, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Maldonado went 1-for-6 in two appearances in the three-game set against Seattle, and he'll retreat to the bench to open the series against the Angels on Monday. Yainer Diaz is starting behind the plate and hitting eighth.
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Astros' Martin Maldonado: Day off Friday
Rotowire
Maldonado isn't in the Astros' lineup for Friday's game against Atlanta.
Maldonado holds just a .258 OPS in his last four games, so he will get a day off Friday. Yainer Diaz will take over behind the plate and bat eighth.
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Astros' Martin Maldonado: Tallies first homer
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Maldonado went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a double Friday against the Rangers.
Maldonado took Martin Perez deep in the fifth inning to record his first homer and extra-base hit of the season. Though he also chipped in a double two frames later, the performance did little to make up for Maldonado's dismal performance at the plate to start the new campaign. He now has a .219/.306/.344 line across 37 plate appearances, though he remains Houston's primary catcher due to his defensive work behind the plate.
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Astros' Martin Maldonado: Receives breather
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Maldonado is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Maldonado started behind the dish for both of the Astros' first two games of the series in Pittsburgh, so he's likely just getting some rest with Wednesday's series finale beginning at 12:35 p.m. ET. Yainer Diaz will catch for starting pitcher Jose Urquidy while Maldonado sits.
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Astros' Martin Maldonado: Resting for day game
Rotowire
Maldonado is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.
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.
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Astros' Martin Maldonado: Heads to bench
Rotowire
Maldonado is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the White Sox, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.
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.
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Astros' Martin Maldonado: Fully healthy for spring
Rotowire
Maldonado (hernia) confirmed Thursday that he is fully healthy leading into the spring, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Maldonado required hernia surgery in mid-November, but he's now healthy after having three full months to recover. 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, though his .600 OPS was still below average.
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Astros' Martin Maldonado: Undergoes hernia surgery
Rotowire
Maldonado underwent surgery Tuesday to repair a sports hernia, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
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. The defense-first catcher is expected to be fully recovered from the procedure in time for spring training in 2023.
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Astros' Martin Maldonado: Resting in Game 4
Rotowire
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.
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.
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Astros' Martin Maldonado: Goes yard Tuesday
Rotowire
Maldonado went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 10-0 win over the Phillies.
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.
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Astros' Martin Maldonado: Sitting out Friday
Rotowire
Maldonado isn't in the lineup Friday against Tampa Bay.
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.
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Astros' Martin Maldonado: On bench Thursday
Rotowire
Maldonado isn't starting Thursday against the Orioles.
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.
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Astros' Martin Maldonado: Three hits including homer
Rotowire
Maldonado went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's victory over Tampa Bay.
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.
