The Houston Astros seem to be up to their eyeballs in catchers. As the team continues to start 36-year-old veteran backstop Martin Maldonado, there are a trio of youngsters vying for the position. Beside Maldonado, who is a defense-first catcher that pitchers feel comfortable working with, the team also has 24-year-old prospect Yainer Diaz and 27-year-old multi-positional Cesar Salazar on the bench. Not to mention another 24-year-old prospect Korey Lee biding his time in Triple-A Sugar Land. That's a lot of options. However, first-year Astros general manager Dana Brown lent some clarification as to what the team's plans are going forward during a Wednesday interview on SportsTalk 790 AM in Houston, saying about Diaz:"Looking like he's gonna be the future for us behind the plate."Mark Berman@MarkBermanFox26Dana Brown, on @SportsTalk790, on catcher Yainer Diaz: “Looking like he’s gonna be the future for us behind the plate.”39136Dana Brown, on @SportsTalk790, on catcher Yainer Diaz: “Looking like he’s gonna be the future for us behind the plate.”Instead of filling Houston Astros fans full of hope, Brown's comments only seemed to irritate most supporters of the team. While Diaz beat Lee out for a spot on the MLB roster in Spring Training, he is getting far less playing time than his fellow 24-year-old is in the minor leagues. Diaz has just 31 at-bats over 11 games so far this season, serving primarily as starter Hunter Brown's personal catcher and seeing very little playing time otherwise. He is hitting .258 with two RBIs and five runs scored in those 11 games.Jake Sumeraj@AstrosJake@MarkBermanFox26 @SportsTalk790 I try not to be critical of the day to day lineup management, but the lack of playing time for Diaz has been frustrating3@MarkBermanFox26 @SportsTalk790 I try not to be critical of the day to day lineup management, but the lack of playing time for Diaz has been frustratingMichael Garza@claymangarza@MarkBermanFox26 @SportsTalk790 Hmmmm, if that's the case, it would be nice to see him get more than one start per week.4@MarkBermanFox26 @SportsTalk790 Hmmmm, if that's the case, it would be nice to see him get more than one start per week.Jiminy Cricket@jimmycrackaStro@MarkBermanFox26 @SportsTalk790 Then maybe get him to play some more27@MarkBermanFox26 @SportsTalk790 Then maybe get him to play some moreCurrent starting catcher Maldonado is a battle-tested veteran that knows how to handle a big-league pitching staff through years of experience. However, it is believed that Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker is an old-time baseball man that simply prefers to use players that have "been around the diamond" a few times rather than handing over a lot of playing time to youngsters.Pollardsvision@pollardsvision@MarkBermanFox26 @SportsTalk790 Someone is gonna have to force Diaz on Dusty.If Diaz was ever allowed to play multiple games in a row he could actually get into a rhythm…..kid would be hitting 20-30 points higher….tough to hit when you play once every six days.252@MarkBermanFox26 @SportsTalk790 Someone is gonna have to force Diaz on Dusty.If Diaz was ever allowed to play multiple games in a row he could actually get into a rhythm…..kid would be hitting 20-30 points higher….tough to hit when you play once every six days.Arcangle@arcangle88@MarkBermanFox26 @SportsTalk790 What is Dana gonna do when Dusty still lets Diaz catch once every five days, and not getting any other playing time at all, including DH and other late inning pitching hit opportunities?@MarkBermanFox26 @SportsTalk790 What is Dana gonna do when Dusty still lets Diaz catch once every five days, and not getting any other playing time at all, including DH and other late inning pitching hit opportunities?🇺🇦 Felix Vega@felix_vega10@MarkBermanFox26 @AstrosFansUK @SportsTalk790 Dusty and Brown are not in the same page2@MarkBermanFox26 @AstrosFansUK @SportsTalk790 Dusty and Brown are not in the same pageFor many Astros fans, Brown's comments on Diaz are likely to mean that Lee will end up finding himself on a different team before he gets much of a chance to catch at the major-league level. Lee hit .160 over 12 games in his Houston debut last season — notably better than Diaz's .125 average in six games near the end of 2022 — though the latter is seen as having more breakout potential. So far at Sugar Land this season, Lee is hitting .265 with one homer and 14 RBIs. He is hitting .259 over four minor-league seasons. Juice Box Enthusiast@deepdarkhole_@MarkBermanFox26 @SportsTalk790 I have one gently used Korey Lee to offer any teams interested1@MarkBermanFox26 @SportsTalk790 I have one gently used Korey Lee to offer any teams interestedHan@shaneThomas82@MarkBermanFox26 @SportsTalk790 Tough words to hear if you’re Korey Lee@MarkBermanFox26 @SportsTalk790 Tough words to hear if you’re Korey LeeWarren 🛹@alief_texas@MarkBermanFox26 @SportsTalk790 Korey Lee on trading block@MarkBermanFox26 @SportsTalk790 Korey Lee on trading blockHouston Astros fans are seemingly not big fans of Maldonado and would like to see Diaz get a far bigger piece of the playing pie if he is indeed the team's catcher of the future. Chris@FireDustyBaker@MarkBermanFox26 @SportsTalk790 The future is now431@MarkBermanFox26 @SportsTalk790 The future is nowHouston Astros battling to stay above .500 this springMartin Maldonado #15 of the Houston Astros looks on during a game against the Tampa Bay RaysAfter a 4-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday, the defending World Series champion Astros are 16-15 on the season, 2.5 games behind the American League West-leading Texas Rangers.