Houston Astros and Martín Maldonado catch up in Chicago

The Astros are no strangers to reuniting with players who played a role in the franchise’s golden era over the past 10 seasons before leaving.

Tuesday’s series opener against the White Sox in Chicago brings another reunion, this time with a former teammate who has become a lightning rod for fans but remains, almost to a man, revered in the club- house in Houston.

Veteran catcher Martín Maldonado, the starting backstop the previous four seasons who spent parts of six campaigns in Houston, will play the unfamiliar role of opponent when the Astros travel to guaranteed Rate Field.

Second baseman Jose Altuve said the reunion with Maldonado would be “pretty emotional.” Third baseman Alex Bregman, who has played with Maldonado since the latter joined the Astros before the 2018 trade deadline, said it was “definitely different” to view Maldonado as an opponent.

“I spent so much time playing with Maldy over the last six years (and) I learned so much from him,” Bregman said. “He’s just a great teammate. It’s going to be weird being on a different team.

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Neither Chicago nor Maldonado are having a great year. The White Sox’s 19-54 record is by far the worst in the major leagues. Maldonado, 37, who was replaced by Yainer Diaz as the Astros’ No. 1 catcher, is hitting .083 with one homer, five RBIs and a .269 OPS.

Of course, Maldonado’s value to the Astros over the years has never been quantified in numbers. Instead, it came from the fact that he was, in the words of reliever Ryan Pressly, “kind of the heartbeat of this clubhouse.”

“We obviously have great guys in this clubhouse – like Breggy, Lance (McCullers), JV (Justin Verlander), Yordan (Alvarez) and Tuve – but Maldy was legitimately one of those guys you need in the clubhouse,” Pressly said. “I honestly think he will be a great manager one day.”

Pressly recalled Maldonado’s impact in pressure-filled moments, like facing Philadelphia slugger Bryce Harper in the ninth inning of Game 6 of the 2022 World Series, when the Astros were trying to clinch their second championship.

“We would have a complete game plan to get there, and I remember specifically in the World Series, he threw a fastball to Harper, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, are you sure?’ ” Pressly said. “And he kind of looked at me and said, ‘Do it.’ I was just like, ‘All right.’

Maldonado’s intuition paid off, with Harper flying out on Pressly’s first-pitch fastball.

Three innings earlier, with the Astros leading 1-0, the wily Maldonado filled the plate and took a Zack Wheeler fastball off his left elbow. That sparked a rally capped three batters later by a monster three-run homer from Alvarez that put Houston away for good.

Maldonado also made an impact in playoff games with his defense. A memorable example came in the deciding play of Game 6 of the 2021 American League Championship Series. Maldonado struck out Boston’s Alex Verdugo, the tying run, as he attempted to steal second base to complete a double play to end the seventh inning. This prompted Fox announcer Joe Buck to say, “That’s why Maldonado is in the lineup.”

“He meant a lot,” said left-hander Framber Valdez, who was caught by Maldonado in 59 of 62 starts over the previous two seasons, including his August 2023 no-hitter, via a interpreter. “He’s a guy that has added a lot of value every time I’ve been there. He helped me a lot mentally and physically every time I was on the mound.

“I’m not sure everyone understands (its value). If you understand baseball, you understand how important it was. Obviously, he’s a catcher who helped all his pitchers. He gets a ton of respect and he deserves it (every moment). He’s one of those guys that helped me every time on the mound and helped me try to control my emotions and keep me locked in mentally.

Maldonado hit .191 with 58 home runs, 164 RBIs and a .623 OPS in 469 games with the Astros over six seasons. His continued presence in the lineup, especially since Diaz emerged as an offensive threat last season, has drawn anger from a portion of fans, particularly on social media.

But how Maldonado was truly perceived was seen by then-general manager Jeff Luhnow, who traded for him twice before back-to-back trade deadlines and by successor James Click who extended Maldonado’s contract in 2021 despite the meager offense he caused.

“A lot of pitchers wanted him,” Pressly said. “This is not a knock on Diaz or anyone who was here. It’s the presence in the clubhouse. Maldy is just a 100 percent professional. Personally, I loved having him around because he always gave me a hard time too.

“He’s just one of those guys that’s a good human being and a good teammate, always cheering you on through good or bad. It was just something you wanted in the clubhouse.

Maldonado isn’t the only ex-Houston facing his former team this week. Catcher Korey Lee, the Astros’ 2019 first-round pick who was traded to Chicago last season for reliever Kendall Graveman amid Diaz’s emergence, and outfielder Corey Julks, traded earlier this year, are also with the White Sox.

Both posted modest offensive numbers, but Lee got the bulk of the starts at catcher over Maldonado, while Julks is getting major league time he hadn’t seen with the Astros before being designated for assignment and traded in May.

“Corey Julks (was) one of my best friends in the minors,” said outfielder Jake Meyers, who was part of the Astros’ 2017 draft class with Julks. “I played with him almost every day up until the minors. … He’s a great player, and I’m just happy he’s having success. I’ll be happy to see him and say hello.

“Coming up to the plate with (Maldonado and Lee) behind the plate, I’m sure they’ll have things to say, and it’s going to be a battle. (Maldonado is) a great teammate that I’ve had a lot of really good conversations with and learned a lot about baseball. So it’ll be fun to face him as a catcher because we’ve talked a lot about hitting. It will be a lot of fun.