Martin Maldonado catching for Astros against Royals

Houston Astros catcher Martin Maldonado is in the starting lineup for Wednesday afternoon's series finale against left-hander Mike Minor and the Kansas City Royals.

What It Means:

Maldonado is catching for Lance McCullers and batting ninth. Jason Castro is idle after starting on Tuesday.

numberFire’s models project Maldonado for 9.4 FanDuel points and he has a $2,200 salary on Wednesday’s slate. Per our MLB Heat Map, the Astros have an implied total of 4.8 runs. Minor is registering a 23.2 strikeout percentage and a 6.7 walk percentage this season, with a 4.35 xERA and a .318 xwOBA.