Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak has said the team would like to see Gorman receive close to 600 at-bats next season, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Gorman spent the final five-plus weeks of the 2024 season in the minors and finished with a .671 OPS and 37.6 percent strikeout rate. However, the Cardinals are committed to giving their younger players a long leash in 2025 and Gorman will be one of the beneficiaries. What position Gorman plays is not yet clear. He's seen most of his starts at the major-league level at second base and could play there, but moving back to his natural third base position is also an option if the Cardinals trade Nolan Arenado.

Espinal and the Reds agreed to a one-year, $2.4 million contract Friday to avoid arbitration, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Espinal was traded from the Blue Jays to the Reds in March and had a .246/.295/.356 slash line with nine home runs and 11 steals in 118 games during 2024. He should fill a utility role for Cincinnati again in 2025.

The Phillies re-signed Castro to a minor-league contract Wednesday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Castro was outrighted off the Phillies' 40-man roster earlier this month but has returned on a minors pact. The infielder missed the bulk of the 2024 season with shoulder and thumb injuries. The 25-year-old Castro sports a career .219/.292/.380 batting line over parts of three major-league seasons.

The Marlins selected Serna's contract from Triple-A Jacksonville on Tuesday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Serna was dealt from the Yankees to the Marlins in the Jazz Chisholm trade and has now joined Miami's 40-man roster. The 22-year-old began the 2024 season at the Low-A level before finishing it at Jacksonville, slashing .251/.337/.414 with 15 homers and 15 steals over three stops. He mostly played shortstop last season but can also handle second and third base.

Walton signed a minor-league contract with the Mets on Friday that includes an invitation to spring training.

Walton spent the 2024 season with the Giants organization, going 3-for-22 with a home run, two RBI and three runs scored over nine games with San Francisco. He spent the majority of the year with Triple-A Sacramento, batting .303 with seven homers, 51 RBI, 53 runs scored and four stolen bases over 99 contests. The 30-year-old will look to impress with the Mets this spring in order to potentially secure a spot on the 40-man roster for the 2024 campaign.

Lux might be out of a starting job next season with the Dodgers planning to move Mookie Betts back to the infield, Noah Camras of DodgersNation.com reports.

The Dodgers have not said whether Betts would play shortstop or second base, but with Miguel Rojas and Tommy Edman available as shortstop options, Betts' likelier destination is probably the keystone. Seemingly, that would push Lux to the bench or perhaps the trade block. Lux had a .562 OPS in the first half of the 2024 season but finished strong in the second half with an .899 OPS. He then struggled in the postseason (.580 OPS) while battling a hip issue. Lux will turn 27 later this month and is under team control through 2026.

The Phillies outrighted Castro (thumb) to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Monday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Castro missed much of the 2024 season due to injury, including a torn thumb ligament which ended his campaign. He slashed just .211/.282/.310 with Lehigh Valley this season.

Walton cleared waivers Friday and was sent outright to Triple-A Sacramento, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Walton appeared in nine games for the Giants in 2024, during which he went 3-for-22 with a home run and two RBI. Most of his time was spent in Sacramento, however, where he slashed .305/.377/.438 with 51 RBI across 387 plate appearances. The 30-year-old infielder appears likely to remain in the minors to start the 2025 campaign and continue serving as organizational depth.

Lux will start at second base and bat ninth Wednesday in Game 5 of the World Series versus the Yankees.

It's the lowest spot in the batting order so far this postseason for Lux, who is just 1-for-17 at the plate over his last seven playoff contests. It's possible he's still not feeling totally healthy after suffering a hip flexor injury in Game 1 of the NLCS. Lux is flip-flopping spots in the lineup with Tommy Edman, who will hit seventh Wednesday.

Lux isn't in the lineup for Game 2 of the World Series against the Yankees on Saturday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

The Yankees will send southpaw Carlos Rodon to the mound to begin Game 2, so the lefty-hitting Lux will grab a seat on the bench while Enrique Hernandez fills in at the keystone and bats sixth.