Elias Diaz

Elias Diaz

35-Year-Old CatcherC
Kansas City Royals
2026 Stats
AVG
.286
HR
1
RBI
3
R
2
SB
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
AVG
HR
RBI
R
SB
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2026 Fantasy Outlook
The Padres got little offensive production at the catcher position last season, with Diaz's 283 plate appearances leading the club's backstops. He produced just a .607 OPS with the opportunity, collecting nine homers and 29 RBI. Whereas Diaz had logged tolerable strikeout rates previously in career, his K percentage rose to a career-worst 26.1 percent last year, and his .204 batting average was also his worst over the course of a full season. Diaz's saving grace was his above-average work as a defender, but that wasn't enough to dissuade San Diego from acquiring the more offensively capable Freddy Fermin at the trade deadline to take over lead-catcher duties. San Diego unsurprisingly declined Diaz's option in the offseason, and it's unlikely he'll find a starting role elsewhere. Read Past Outlooks
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RANKS
Rest of Season
From Preseason
League Majors
Bats R
Throws R
40 Man Yes
Height 6'1"
Weight 223
DOB 11/17/1990
Born Maracaibo, Venezuela
College None
Drafted 2008 PIT
Signed a one-year contract with the Royals in February of 2026.
Drives first homer of 2026
CKansas City Royals
May 1, 2026
Diaz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Athletics.
Analysis
Diaz cracked his first homer of the season to the opposite field in the eighth inning to cut into the Royals' deficit, though they were unable to complete a comeback. The 35-year-old has seen limited playing time since being called up April 19 to serve as the team's third catcher but has produced when called upon, going 4-for-11 (.364) with a homer, two doubles, three RBI, two runs and a walk across four games.
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Batting Stats
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2026 MLB Game Log
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Batting Order Slot Breakdown
vs Right-Handed Pitchers
vs RHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
vs Left-Handed Pitchers
vs LHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
1
3
Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2024
 
 
+8%
OPS vs RHP
2026
 
 
+96%
OPS vs LHP
2025
 
 
+12%
OPS vs RHP
2024
 
 
+14%
OPS vs RHP
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2024vs Left .627 199 14 5 21 0 .234 .279 .348
Since 2024vs Right .680 450 49 11 50 0 .241 .302 .378
2026vs Left 1.178 10 2 1 3 0 .333 .400 .778
2026vs Right .600 5 0 0 0 0 .200 .200 .400
2025vs Left .560 87 6 3 9 0 .200 .247 .313
2025vs Right .628 196 28 6 20 0 .206 .280 .349
2024vs Left .631 102 6 1 9 0 .253 .294 .337
2024vs Right .721 249 21 5 30 0 .270 .321 .400
More Splits→ View More Split Stats
Minor League Splits→ View Minor League Split Stats
Home/Away Batting Splits
Since 2024
 
 
+4%
OPS at Home
2026
 
 
+167%
OPS on Road
2025
 
 
+31%
OPS on Road
2024
 
 
+35%
OPS at Home
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2024Home .675 331 32 7 44 0 .246 .306 .369
Since 2024Away .652 318 31 9 27 0 .232 .283 .369
2026Home .536 8 1 0 2 0 .143 .250 .286
2026Away 1.429 7 1 1 1 0 .429 .429 1.000
2025Home .528 143 16 3 15 0 .191 .254 .275
2025Away .690 140 18 6 14 0 .218 .287 .403
2024Home .798 180 15 4 27 0 .294 .350 .448
2024Away .590 171 12 2 12 0 .235 .275 .315
More Splits→ View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does Elias Diaz compare to other hitters?
This section compares his stats with all batting seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 400 plate appearances)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • BB/K
    Walk to strikeout ratio
  • BB Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a walk.
  • K Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a strikeout.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many of a batter’s balls in play go for hits.
  • ISO
    Isolated Power. Slugging percentage minus batting average. A computation used to measure a batter's raw power.
  • AVG
    Batting average. Hits divided by at bats.
  • OBP
    On Base Percentage. A measure of how often a batters reaches base. Roughly equal to number of times on base divided by plate appearances.
  • SLG
    Slugging Percentage. A measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats.
  • OPS
    On base plus slugging. THe sum of a batter's on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
  • wOBA
    Weighted on-base average. Measures a player's overall offensive contributions per plate appearance. wOBA combines all the different aspects of hitting into one metric, weighting each of them in proportion to their actual run value.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Hard Hit Rate
    A measure of contact quality from Sports Info Solutions. This stat explains what percentage of batted balls were hit hard vs. medium or soft.
  • Barrels/PA
    The percentage of plate appearances where a batter had a batted ball classified as a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Expected BA
    Expected Batting Average.
  • Expected SLG
    Expected Slugging Percentage.
  • Sprint Speed
    The speed of a runner from home to first, in feet per second.
  • Ground Ball %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are on the ground.
  • Line Drive %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are line drives.
  • Fly Ball %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are fly balls.
BB/K
1.00
 
BB Rate
6.7%
 
K Rate
6.7%
 
BABIP
.250
 
ISO
.357
 
AVG
.286
 
OBP
.333
 
SLG
.643
 
OPS
.976
 
wOBA
.415
 
Exit Velocity
88.2 mph
 
Hard Hit Rate
30.8%
 
Barrels/PA
13.3%
 
Expected BA
.279
 
Expected SLG
.406
 
Sprint Speed
20.4 ft/sec
 
Ground Ball %
30.8%
 
Line Drive %
30.8%
 
Fly Ball %
38.5%
 
Advanced Batting Stats
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Additional Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Batted Ball Stats
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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Elias Diaz See More
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
Diaz had a decent first half for Colorado last season, slashing .286/.330/.403 with 30 RBI over 67 games, but he batted just .196 without a long ball over 17 contests following the All-Star break and was ultimately released. The veteran backstop resurfaced with San Diego and got some run in September, but he hit just .191 with one homer over 24 plate appearances. Diaz is still a pretty good defender behind the plate, but in recent years he's been below average in virtually every offensive metric aside from strikeout rate (which was a palatable 19.7% last season). Now that he's out of Colorado, even double-digit homers could be hard for him to reach, and that would necessitate Diaz having regular playing time, which isn't likely regardless of where he ends up. He re-signed with the Padres on a one-year contract, setting him up to split time behind the plate with Luis Campusano. Since Campusano has yet to establish himself as a reliable big-league catcher, it's a solid landing spot for Diaz in terms of potential playing time, though he still has a limited ceiling even with decent volume.
If Diaz could simply only play when the Rockies were playing at home and facing righties, he would be more rosterable. Diaz hit .293 in those situations last season with seven homers and 34 RBI which was an overwhelming amount of his overall volume last season. He did hit .258 on the road, but struggled to hit lefties in any location while receiving the majority of the time behind the dish for Colorado. Diaz is in the final year of his contract with the Rockies and there are few signs the club is interested in re-signing the veteran backstop whose last above-average offensive season came in 2018. The upside with Diaz would be him catching the perfect storm of contract year breakout combined with late catcher career breakout, but both theories require a bit of Jobu's rum to truly believe in them. The best thing we can say about Diaz is that he starts at catcher and can give you 15-ish homers. Everything else is a dart throw given his numbers over the years.
Diaz inked a three-year, $14.5 million extension with Colorado after he hit 18 home runs with a .774 OPS in 2021, but he was unable to build on that success last season. The 32-year-old had a .228/.281/.368 slash line with nine homers in 105 games during 2022, and his defense also took a major step back with minus-15 DRS. Brian Serven made his MLB debut but didn't impress offensively with a 52 wRC+, but he provided strong work behind the plate. Diaz should open 2023 with a slight edge for playing time, but his playing time is hardly secure given last season's production, and his fantasy outlook is similarly trending in the wrong direction.
In his second season with the Rockies, Diaz posted a .774 OPS, the second-highest mark of his career. He also graded out as a strong defender. As a result, he was rewarded with a three-year extension from Colorado. The backstop slashed .246/.310/.464 with a career-best 18 homers, 52 runs and 44 RBI across 106 games. Part of his success can be attributed to his improved 40.1 FB%, which is particularly important for hitters playing in Colorado's altitude. The 31-year-old also generated a career-high 16.1% HR/FB. Although Diaz continued to split time behind the dish in 2021, he appears to be the favorite for playing time over Dom Nunez, who hit .189 across 81 appearances last year. Diaz has the advantage of playing his home games at hitter-friendly Coors Field, which gives him a fairly high batting-average floor relative to others at the position. If the power gains he showed last year hold, he could be a steal in leagues where two catchers are started.
Following a disappointing 2019 campaign, Diaz had the opportunity to get a fresh start with the Rockies. Even though he got to play his home games at hitter-friendly Coors Field, the catcher was unable to establish himself as the team's primary catcher during most of 2020. His wOBA crept up to .302, but his BABIP fell to .275, while his Z-Contact% dropped to 84.3%. Diaz did put more balls in the air, which is certainly promising for a player in Colorado. He had a 35.8% flyball rate, and his hard-hit rate (39.6%) and barrel percentage (11.3%) both jumped during his first season with the Rockies. However, he struggled with patience once again, posting a 6.8 BB% and 20.5 K%. Diaz has shown glimpses of promise in his career and could provide late-round value if he consistently starts, but he's been unable to produce on a regular basis and should compete for playing time with Dom Nunez next year.
After a promising 2018 campaign, Diaz was unable to put the pieces together in 2019. Francisco Cervelli was released due to lingering concussion issues in August, and Diaz was unable to lock down the role of an everyday catcher. Diaz hit just .241/.296/.307 with two home runs in 101 games, down from the season before in which he hit .286/.339/.452 with 10 home runs in 82 games. The 29-year-old has above-average contact skills -- he had an 88.7 Z-Contact% and 16.9 K% last season -- but Diaz struggled with patience (6.9 BB%) and the quality connections simply were not there after he found a groove in these areas the year before. The 29-year-old showed what he was capable of in 2018 by flashing his power potential and ability to produce runs in limited opportunities, but the Pirates moved on over the winter and Diaz will have to start essentially from Square 1 with the Rockies.
Despite playing in just 82 games while serving primarily as a backup to Francisco Cervelli, Diaz was a top-20 earner at the catcher position. It was a big improvement on his previous season -- Diaz walked more (7.6%) and shaved nearly five percentage points off his strikeout rate while adding more than 10 percentage points to his hard-hit rate. With that, his power numbers and batting average improved dramatically. Statcast suggests the numbers could have been even better given the quality of his approach and contact. Diaz uses the whole field well (just a 37.7 Pull%), and while there's little in his track record to suggest this level of power is sustainable, catchers typically take longer to develop offensively, so who knows? Cervelli has another year left on his deal and will presumably remain the starter, but Cervelli has dealt with a variety of injuries. Even in a backup role, Diaz has appeal as a low-cost catching option.
After appearing for a sip of latte each of the past two seasons, Diaz received extended playing time in 2017 as regular catcher Francisco Cervelli endured an injury-riddled season. Diaz began the season with Triple-A Indianapolis before being recalled May 1. He'd ride the Pitt-Indy shuffle three more times before being called up for good on Aug. 28. Diaz makes good contact, sporting a strikeout rate in the mid-teens throughout his minor-league career, whiffing at a 19 percent clip last season in 200 plate appearances with the Pirates. Unfortunately, with little power and even less speed, Diaz doesn't take advantage of the balls he puts in play, slugging just .314 with a .091 ISO. Considering Diaz's defense is nothing special, his career path looks to be that of a backup receiver. However, with the fragile Cervelli back for the Bucs, Diaz could be pressed into action again in 2018.
Diaz missed a golden opportunity to make an impact in 2016 as he instead made two separate trips to the disabled list. First, he underwent elbow surgery in early May and didn't make his minor league season debut until July 4. He then caught one game in Pittsburgh, throwing out a baserunner in late July, before returning to the minors and later developing a season-ending bacterial infection in his leg. Diaz was a defense-first catcher until 2014, when he hit a combined .312 between Double-A and Triple-A. He doesn't hold a ton of power but he could see significant action in the big leagues in 2017 if Francisco Cervelli once again misses time due to injury.
Diaz was unable to follow up a breakout 2014 (.328/.378/.445) in 2015 (.271/.330/.382), but he did advance from Double-A to Triple-A. The 25-year-old made his major league debut in September as catching insurance but appeared in only two games as a pinch-hitter. His stock dropped a bit and 2013 No. 1 draft pick Reese McGuire looms large in the organization’s long-term plans. Still, Diaz threw out 30 percent of baserunners and offers Pittsburgh a solid potential backup to Francisco Cervelli, depending upon fellow catcher Chris Stewart’s plans.
More Fantasy News
Moves up to majors
CKansas City Royals
April 19, 2026
The Royals selected Diaz's contract from Triple-A Omaha on Sunday.
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Promotion anticipated
CKansas City Royals
April 18, 2026
Diaz is expected to have his contract selected by the Royals on Sunday, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.
Analysis
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Catches on with Royals as NRI
CKansas City Royals
February 20, 2026
The Royals signed Diaz to a minor-league contract Friday that includes an invitation to spring training.
Analysis
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Club option declined
CFree Agent
Oblique
November 4, 2025
The Padres declined Diaz's (oblique) $7 million club option for 2026 on Tuesday, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Analysis
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Held off wild-card roster
CSan Diego Padres
Oblique
September 30, 2025
Diaz (oblique) is not on the Padres' wild-card roster.
Analysis
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Turns down offer from San Francisco
CFree Agent
August 23, 2024
Diaz has turned down a contract offer from the Giants because they would not guarantee a roster spot for him when Patrick Bailey returns from his oblique injury, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Analysis
Diaz would likely have been in line for regular playing time while Bailey is out, but he wanted assurances that he'd stick around after that and the Giants weren't willing to give it to him. The 33-year-old Diaz was released by the Rockies a week ago and is still looking for a new home.
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