Stassi will take on a bigger role after the Astros placed Brian McCann on the disabled list with soreness in his right knee, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports. In the first game as Houston's primary catcher, he went 1-for-5 in Tuesday's 6-5 loss to the Yankees.

EDGE Analysis

Manager A.J. Hinch confirmed that Stassi will take on the majority of the workload behind the plate with McCann unavailable. The 27-year-old rookie catcher has made himself into a better hitter and defender. "(He) has swung the bat probably better than we even expected, given that he's been predominantly a soft platoon/backup player or backup catcher," Hinch said. "It's hard to contribute consistently in that role so I've been very happy with that. His receiving has gotten so much better over the last year or two and we're seeing it impact pitchers, seeing it impact balls and strikes, and that's a tribute to the work he's put in." Tim Fedorowicz was called up from Triple-A Fresno to provide some insurance, but his lack of familiarity with the starters will limit his opportunities.

Stassi went 1-for-6 with a solo home run in Sunday's 10-9 extra-inning loss to the Indians.

EDGE Analysis

Stassi has been surprisingly effective with bat in hand this season, hitting .300 with four homers and 14 RBI through 80 at-bats (29 games). Behind the plate, Stassi's catcher ERA of 2.72 is second only to teammate Brian McCann's 2.57. Stassi has handled Houston's elite starting staff well while holding his own at the plate.

Stassi went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, an RBI and two runs scored in Tuesday's 11-2 win over the Giants.

EDGE Analysis

Stassi was one of three members of the Astros' lineup -- Tony Kemp and J.D. Davis the others -- to have faced San Francisco's rookie left-hander Andrew Suarez in Triple-A, so he had some knowledge going in. In three minor-league appearances against Suarez, Stassi had two home runs, so it's no surprise he contributed offensively. It's also no surprise because Stassi's mashed against left-handers this season. Tuesday's two-hit effort raised his season average against southpaws to .519 (14-for-27) with a 1.382 OPS.

Stassi went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's win over the Athletics.

EDGE Analysis

The solo shot -- Stassi's third homer of the year -- knotted up the score at 1-1 in a game Houston would eventually go on to win 4-1. The catcher is now hitting .273 and has multi-hit efforts in two straight, but he doesn't see regular enough at-bats to warrant much consideration outside of deeper leagues.

Stassi went 2-for-3 with a home run, three runs scored and an RBI on Thursday against the Mariners.

EDGE Analysis

Stassi hit his second home run of the season, this one coming off Marc Rzepczynski in the seventh inning. He has gotten 29 at-bats as the primary backup catcher to Brian McCann and shown flashes of power in his limited opportunities. However, he has also struck out in over 30 percent of his plate appearances. Due to his sporadic opportunity and production, he is only rosterable in deep AL-only leagues.

Stassi went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Padres.

EDGE Analysis

Stassi's fifth-inning bomb snapped the Astros' streak of 29-plus innings without an extra-base knock. The catcher, who revamped his swing last season to hit more flyballs, is 6-for-15 with two doubles, a home run and five RBI over six games (four starts).

Stassi started Sunday and went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in an 8-2 victory over Texas.

EDGE Analysis

Stassi has started two of Houston's first four games, so early on it's looking like he'll get a significant amount of plate appearances as Brian McCann's backup. And it doesn't hurt that Stassi has come out hitting. The 27-year-old has reached base safely and driven in runs in both games.

Stassi went 1-for-4 with a double and knocked in a run in Friday's 5-1 loss to the Rangers.

EDGE Analysis

The Astros had chances Friday, but only Stassi broke through with a man in scoring position. Stassi, who will be the primary backup to the 34-year-old Brian McCann, got the call for the second game of the season. McCann's unlikely to get much more than 100 starts, so Stassi's in line for a significant amount of plate appearances. His framing and game-calling have improved, so there are no qualms about having him on the field. If he maintains any semblance of offense -- manager A.J. Hinch raved about his improvement at the plate during training camp -- Stassi could be a pleasant sleeper at catcher.

Stassi, who was informed Friday he made the team, will be the primary backup to starter Brian McCann, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Manager A.J. Hinch said Stassi would catch more games than Evan Gattis, who will be the third catcher and the primary designated hitter. McCann is entering his age-34 season and last season played his fewest games since his rookie season. That suggests Stassi's role has potential to lead to significant plate appearances.

Stassi was told that he made the Astros' roster, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Stassi will be the team's third catcher, but with backup Evan Gattis spending a lot of time as a designated hitter, he'll have plenty of opportunities to play. As a righty, he could start often against southpaws over the left-handed Brian McCann. Stassi has received brief call-ups in each of the last five seasons, compiling a .253/.318/.405 line in 89 plate appearances. He hit .266/.383/.473 with 12 homers in 73 games for Triple-A Fresno last season. His presence in a loaded Houston lineup could pad his counting stats, but he's unlikely to play often enough or well enough to be much of a factor in most fantasy leagues.