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Díaz dragged his club back into this game with a grand slam in the seventh inning when they trailed by five runs. Then, his sacrifice fly in the ninth brought them within one, but they still fell short. That home run was his seventh of the season in what’s been a middling season as the Rangers’ part-time catcher.

Díaz has survived the return of Danny Jansen from the IL and today’s promotion of Logan O’Hoppe, but he’s still facing the eventual activation of Kyle Higashioka next month as he looks to hold on to a roster spot. He’s hit .234/.252/.369 with four homers in 55 games since joining the Rangers at the beginning of June.

Díaz got the party started in the second inning with a 414-foot (102.3-mph EV) solo shot off of Framber Valdez in the second inning that started a three-run rally. He also singled and scored on an RBI knock by Nicky Lopez during the Rangers’ three-run seventh inning. The 35-year-old backstop has impressed in his limited action this season, slashing .300/.315/.557 with four homers and 16 RBI in 73 plate appearances.

Díaz will serve as Kyle Higashioka’s backup until Danny Jansen is ready to return from a forearm strain. The 35-year-old went 5-for-22 with two homers in 10 games with the Royals before being bumped from the roster last week.

Díaz was let go by the Royals last week after going 5-for-22 with two homers in 23 plate appearances over 10 games. Barring a surprising decision to place Danny Jansen or Kyle Higashioka on the IL, it appears that he’ll be joining the Rangers as a third catcher, freeing up the top two catchers to start between catcher and DH against lefties. Justin Foscue or Michael Helman could be bumped from the roster.

Díaz figures to elect free agency following his removal from Kansas City’s roster, but there’s always a chance he opts to stick around as emergency catching depth. The well-traveled 35-year-old veteran garnered zero interest on waivers after going 5-for-22 with two homers during a 10-game stint with the Royals.

The Royals needed to clear a spot on their active roster for the addition of Tyler Tolbert on Friday, so the club’s luxury third catcher winds up getting the boot. There’s always a need for viable catching depth around the league, so there’s a chance that the 35-year-old backstop attracts some interest on waivers.

With Carter Jensen and Salvador Perez seeing regular action as the Royals’ designated hitter, it makes sense for them to carry a third backstop. The 35-year-old was off to a very slow start offensively at the Triple-A level, slashing .219/.286/.250 with zero homers, one RBI and an 8/1 K/BB ratio in 35 plate appearances. His days of fantasy relevancy are in the rearview mirror.

With Salvador Perez and Carter Jensen both playing regularly, a third catcher makes sense for the Royals. Unless someone is hurt, we assume Tyler Tolbert will be swapped out. A utilityman on the roster for his speed, he’s 0-for-4 on the season. The Royals will also have to free up a spot on the 40-man.

You can never have enough quality catching depth. The 35-year-old backstop hit just .204/.270/.337 with nine homers, 29 RBI and a 74/21 K/BB ratio across 283 plate appearances with the Padres in 2025. He’ll add extra depth behind the plate in major league camp, though he seems unlikely to crack the Royals’ Opening Day roster unless injury strikes.

Even with Freddy Fermin entrenched as the starter, the Padres will roster both Luis Campusano and Martín Maldonado as backups for this series. It remains to be seen who will catch Game 2.

Díaz missed Sunday’s game with an oblique issue. While he’s lost playing time, Díaz has continued to serve as Nick Pivetta’s personal catcher since the acquisition of Freddy Fermin, and the Padres would surely prefer not to mess with the pairing at this point. Still, they’re making preparations to be without him, as both Martín Maldonado and Luis Campusano are expected to be in Chicago and available to be activated.

San Diego could turn to Luis Campusano on their postseason roster if Díaz isn’t ready to go in a couple days. It’ll presumably be Freddy Fermin handling the catching duties in his absence. The 34-year-old veteran suffered an oblique injury during Saturday’s win over Arizona.

Díaz belted the third of three Padres’ home runs off of Diamondbacks’ left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, with his 390-foot blast increasing the Padres’ lead to 5-0 in the second inning. It has been a rough season overall for the 34-year-old backstop as he’s hitting just .204/.270/.337 with nine long balls and 29 RBI in 283 plate appearances.