Astros' Victor Caratini: On bench for second straight
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Caratini is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Reds.
Caratini had seen an uptick in playing time lately while the Astros continue to rotate a number of different players at first base, but he'll hit the bench for a second straight matchup against a right-handed pitcher. The lefty-hitting Jon Singleton has started at first base in both of those games and looks to be the Astros' preferred option for now, though he doesn't have much job security.
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Astros' Victor Caratini: Getting day off
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Caratini is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.
Caratini picked up starts at first base and catcher Friday and Saturday, respectively, but he'll hit the bench for the finale. Yainer Diaz will work behind the plate Sunday, while Jon Singleton gets the nod at first base. The Astros are likely to rotate Caratini, Singleton and Zach Dezenzo at first base until somebody performs well enough to take control of the job.
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Astros' Victor Caratini: Resting Friday
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Caratini is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Orioles.
After making back-to-back starts behind the dish, Caratini will get the night off Friday. With Yainer Diaz seeing more work at first base, Caratini should see plenty of action behind the plate in the closing weeks of the regular season.
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Astros' Victor Caratini: On bench for second straight game
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Caratini is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays.
Caratini's playing time had been trending up while the Astros had shown more of a willingness to play Yordan Alvarez in left field of late, but the former now finds himself on the bench for the second day in a row. Assuming Alvarez gets the bulk of his starts at DH moving forward, Yainer Diaz will continue to serve as the Astros' top backstop, which closes off Caratini's path to steady starts.
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Astros' Victor Caratini: Playing time picking up
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Caratini will start at designated hitter and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the Pirates, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
The Astros have shown more of a willingness to use Yordan Alvarez in left field of late, and it's helped open up more playing time for Caratini. He's now started in three of the last four games, with the previous two starts coming at catcher while fellow backstop Yainer Diaz served as Houston's DH. In addition to providing quality defense behind the plate, Caratini has held his own with the bat this season, hitting .276 with five home runs and 19 RBI over 128 plate appearances.
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Astros' Victor Caratini: Swats solo home run
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Caratini went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 8-2 loss to the Athletics.
Caratini put the Astros on the board in the third with a solo home run to right field off Osvaldo Bido. The long ball was his first hit since being activated off the injured list Monday after being out for just over a month with a strained left hip. The 30-year-old is slashing .257/.294/.459 with five homers, 18 RBI, 14 runs and a 5:16 BB:K in 119 plate appearances.
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Astros' Victor Caratini: Activated off injured list
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The Astros activated Caratini (hip) from the 10-day injured list Monday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Caratini completed four rehab outings during his recovery from a strained left hip, going 4-for-10 with one home run and two RBI. To make room for Caratini on the 26-man roster, the Astros optioned Cesar Salazar to Triple-A Sugar Land.
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Astros' Victor Caratini: Could join Astros on Monday
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Caratini (hip) will play in rehab games at Double-A Corpus Christi on Saturday and Sunday before joining the Astros on Monday in Oakland, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
The Astros begin a three-game set against the Athletics on Monday, and Caratini is on track to return from his rehab assignment for the start of the series. The catcher has been recovering from a strained left hip and will have completed five rehab games when he rejoins the big-league club. Cesar Salazar will likely be optioned once Caratini is activated.
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Astros' Victor Caratini: Rehab moved to Double-A
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Caratini (hip) will continue his minor-league rehab assignment at Double-A Corpus Christi on Friday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Caratini went 2-for-5 in two games with the Astros' Florida Complex League affiliate. The catcher has been on the shelf since June 21 and was initially given a three-to-four week timetable for his return. Caratini is on track to rejoin the Astros before the end of July.
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Astros' Victor Caratini: Starting rehab assignment
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The Astros sent Caratini (hip) to the rookie-level Florida Complex League on Tuesday to begin a rehab assignment.
Caratini has been shelved since late June with a left hip flexor strain but has been cleared for rehab games. The veteran catcher shouldn't need an extended rehab assignment before being activated from the 10-day injured list, with a return early on in the second half a likely outcome.
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Astros' Victor Caratini: Still not running full speed
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Caratini (hip) took part in drills Tuesday but still isn't running at full speed, MLB.com reports.
Caratini has been ramping up his activity for the last week, but he won't be sent out on a rehab assignment until he is running at 100 percent. He'll be out through the All-Star break, but his timeline for a return beyond that is unclear.
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Astros' Victor Caratini: Running and throwing
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Caratini (hip) has resumed running and throwing while rehabbing in Houston, MLB.com reports.
This is the first report of Cartini resuming baseball activity since he landed on the injured list June 21. He's expected to join the Astros for their weekend series against Minnesota, and it's anticipated he'll participate in batting practice at that time. Though this is positive news, Cartini is still expected to be sidelined through the All-Star break.
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Astros' Victor Caratini: Out up to four weeks
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Astros general manager Dana Brown said Sunday that Caratini (hip) could be out for 3-to-4 weeks, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Caratini landed on the 10-day injured list Friday after sustaining a left hip flexor strain Wednesday against the White Sox. A four-week timeline would put Caratini's return after the All-Star break. Prior to hitting the shelf, the 30-year-old catcher was slashing .248/.287/.429 with four home runs and 17 RBI over 115 plate appearances.
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Astros' Victor Caratini: Headed to IL
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Caratini (left hip flexor strain) was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday, retroactive to Thursday.
Caratini was lifted from Wednesday's game against the White Sox with soreness in his left quad, but imaging revealed he's in fact dealing with a left hip flexor strain. Cesar Salazar should see some catching work behind Yainer Diaz while Caratini is sidelined.
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Astros' Victor Caratini: Getting imaging on quad
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Astros manager Joe Espada said Thursday that Caratini will undergo imaging on his injured left quadricep, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Caratini was removed from Wednesday's 4-1 win over the White Sox due to the injury and remained "pretty sore" Thursday, according to Espada. The skipper thinks Caratini could require a stint on the 10-day injured list, but the club will wait for the MRI results to come in before making that decision. Houston is already carrying Cesar Salazar and Cooper Hummel on the roster as additional catcher options behind Yainer Diaz and Caratini.
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Astros' Victor Caratini: Exits with leg injury
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Caratini was removed from Wednesday's game against the White Sox due to left leg discomfort, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.
Caratini made an awkward slide into home plate during the third inning, and he was replaced behind the dish once the Astros took the field in the bottom of the frame. The severity of the backstop's injury remains unknown, but it's possible he sits out a game or two in order to recover.
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Astros' Victor Caratini: Retreating to bench role
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Caratini is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers.
Caratini had started behind the plate each of the past five games, but he'll be back on the bench for the series finale now that top backstop Yainer Diaz has been cleared to resume catching duties. Diaz had missed three straight games with a sore index finger before returning to the lineup Friday and Saturday as the Astros' designated hitter.
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Astros' Victor Caratini: Consecutive starts behind plate
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Caratini went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Sunday against the Twins.
Caratini drew consecutive starts behind the plate for the first time this season and has now started three of Houston's last four games. He has only two hits in that span, though both have left the yard. It's unlikely that Caratini's playing time outlook will change in the long term, though Yainer Diaz hit just .200/.213/.259 across 88 plate appearances in May.
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Astros' Victor Caratini: Knocks homer in victory
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Caratini went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in Thursday's 4-0 win versus Seattle.
Caratini plated the Astros' final two runs in the contest, belting a solo homer in the fifth inning and adding an RBI on a fielder's choice in the sixth. The long ball has his first since the final day of April, and the backup catcher has posted a modest .205 average over 39 at-bats in May. On a positive note, Caratini is registering a career-best 15.0 percent strikeout rate on the campaign.
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Astros' Victor Caratini: Hits pinch-hit walk-off
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Caratini went 1-for-1 with a two-run home run during Tuesday's 10-9 extra-inning win over the Guardians.
Caratini pinch-hit for Jake Meyers in the 10th frame and delivered the game-winning home run. The long ball was his second of the campaign and marked his third straight game scoring a run. While Caratini is slashing .314/.368/.571 with eight runs scored and eight RBI in 38 at-bats, he's been overshadowed by starting catcher Yainer Diaz, who has also been excellent at the plate.
