Padres' Elias Diaz: May be atop catcher depth chart
Rotowire
Diaz "seems to have moderately separated himself" in the competition to be the Padres' No. 1 catcher, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
Diaz first came to San Diego on a minor-league deal last August and ended up going just 4-for-21 over 24 regular-season games with the Padres. However, the offseason departure of Kyle Higashioka opened up a battle for the team's primary catcher role, and none of the club's backstops has seized hold of the opportunity this spring. Diaz is just 3-for-18 with five strikeouts and one walk, but Luis Campusano has been even less productive with a 2-for-16 line, while Brett Sullivan has gone 2-for-15 and Martin Maldonado is 0-for-13. Ethan Salas is viewed as the catcher of the future for San Diego, but he won't turn 19 until June and has just 33 plate appearances at Double-A under his belt. Cassavell speculates that Diaz's reputation as a good defender could earn him the starting role come Opening Day, though the catcher situation could be fluid throughout the campaign and tilt at any time this spring if one of the backstops goes on a hot streak.
Diaz signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Padres on Tuesday, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.
Diaz joined the Padres on a minor-league deal in late August after being released by the Rockies. After being promoted, the former All-Star appeared in 24 games for San Diego, but he recorded just four hits across 21 at-bats. He became the team's number two catcher behind Kyle Higashioka following Luis Campusano's demotion to Triple-A El Paso in September. Diaz would remain the backup catcher for the postseason roster. With Higashioka now on the Rangers, Diaz has a shot to be in the Opening Day lineup for the Padres. His new contract includes a mutual option for 2026 and is pending a physical.
Padres' Elias Diaz: Swats first homer with new club
Rotowire
Diaz went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk Saturday in a 6-2 victory versus the White Sox.
Diaz gave San Diego some extra cushion in the eighth inning with a two-run shot to left-center field. It was his sixth homer of the season and his first since joining the Padres in late August. In fact, prior to Saturday, Diaz -- who belted a career-high 18 long balls with the Rockies in 2021 -- hadn't gone deep since June 5, a stretch of 41 games.
