Who Should Back Up Yainer Diaz at Catcher for the Astros in 2027

Entering the 2026 season, the Astros were searching for a backup catcher. Heading into the 2027 season, they may find themselves doing the same thing. 

Yainer Diaz is the Astros’ starting catcher, and they signed Christian Vazquez as the backup for last season. Both catchers had a decent season; that said, they both had one-year deals for 2026, and only Diaz is eligible for arbitration.

Diaz was sidelined with a left oblique strain on May 4, and missed roughly six weeks of the season. Those six weeks did, however, give Vazquez a lot of time behind the plate, and Diaz was not missed.

With Vazquez as the primary catcher, the pitching staff posted a 3.99 ERA, compared to a 5.75 ERA in the games Diaz started earlier this season, per MLB. That is a significant difference. Vazquez has clearly earned more playing time, but at 36 years old, he cannot be overworked.

Diaz ranked in the 21st percentile in pitch framing in 2026, with minus-four framing runs, per Baseball Savant. 

That said, once Diaz returned, we saw significant improvement from the catcher. He really turned things around. He finished the regular season batting .285, with 45 RBI and 14 home runs. The 28-year-old catcher should not be someone they are ready to trade away. Diaz provides the stronger bat.

Based purely on age, the younger player is always at an advantage.

Vazquez finished the season batting .207, with 25 RBI and seven home runs. Those numbers don’t exactly jump off the page, and when comparing them to Diaz, Diaz clearly had him beat. However, Vazquez proved something very important during the 2026 season: he shows up when he’s needed. He showed up so much, in fact, that it had people questioning, with Diaz’s return, whether Vazquez should have more playing time in the future.

Now, with Vazquez up for free agency in 2027, and Diaz eligible for arbitration and expected to be up for free agency in 2028, looking ahead to make sure they have their next catcher in line is the right move.

The Astros could work out a new deal with Vazquez if they want to keep him as the backup catcher, but if not, who could fill the gap?

Looking internally, the Astros have four catchers on their prospect list.

Jason Schiavone

Walker Janek

Will Bush

Luis De Leon

In terms of realistic options, they have two players: Jason Schiavone and Walker Janek. Schiavone seems to be closer to the majors in terms of level, but his projected timeline puts him in the majors in 2028. Janek, on the other hand, has been a top prospect for quite some time, and his projected timeline is 2027. It would be interesting to see if he would be invited to spring training and how he handled things on the top level.

With limited internal options, the Astros may have to shop around. That being said, they could always sign a new contract with Vazquez, keep things the way they are, and focus their time and energy elsewhere.