Martin Maldonado moving to Astros' bench Friday

Houston Astros catcher Martin Maldonado is not in the starting lineup for Friday's series opener against left-hander Madison Bumgarner and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

What It Means:

Maldonado is taking a seat after starting the last three games. Jason Castro, who was activated from the injured list for a knee injury prior to Friday's game, is replacing Maldonado at catcher and hitting ninth.

numberFire’s models project Castro for 8.1 FanDuel points and he has a $2,000 salary on Friday’s slate. Per our MLB Heat Map, the Astros have an implied total of 5.6 runs, which is second-highest in the majors on Friday. Bumgarner is registering a 20.5 strikeout percentage and a 6.6 walk percentage this season, with a 4.44 xERA and a .320 xwOBA.