The Kansas City Royals agreed to a contract with catcher Elias Diaz, the team announced Friday. Diaz joins Salvador Perez and Carter Jensen as other catchers on the roster. Perez will start once again in 2026, while Jensen is Kansas City's top prospect. Nevertheless, there could still be a spot on the Opening Day roster for Diaz, who is expected to join big league camp next week.
Diaz has played in MLB since 2015, but he only appeared in three total games between the 2015 and 2016 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He played 64 games in 2017 with Pittsburgh. Overall, the catcher has had a number of up and down seasons over the years.
He would play with the Pirates through 2019 before joining the Colorado Rockies in 2020. In 2023 with Colorado, Diaz made the National League All-Star team and finished the year with a .267/.316/.409 slash line and 14 home runs.
Diaz ended up joining the San Diego Padres during the 2024 campaign and spent all of 2025 in San Diego as well. Last season, the catcher hit just .204 to go along with a .607 OPS.
With that being said, he will provide extra depth at the catcher position for the Royals. Perez is the starter for now and Jensen is likely going to be the catcher of the future. Having a respectable backup at the position is crucial, however, and it appears that Diaz could earn the role.
The Royals have made a flurry of overlooked moves in recent weeks. Kansas City is doing everything it can to build a contender. Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez will lead the way, but adding depth does not hurt. Perhaps Elias Diaz will make an impact in 2026 as the ball club hopes to contend in the American League Central.
