Castillo was designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks on Friday, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

The move was made in order to free up a spot on the 40-man roster for the return of Lourdes Gurriel. Castillo received just one plate appearance with Arizona in 2023 but slashed .313/.431/.410 at Triple-A Reno. As a 26-year-old with defensive versatility, Castillo could draw some interest on waivers.

Fletcher was outrighted to Triple-A Gwinnett by Atlanta on Wednesday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Given the $15.5 million left on his contract, Fletcher was easily going to pass through waivers. It's still possible that he claims a utility infielder job with Atlanta, but now the club will have a bit more 40-man roster flexibility. Fletcher has slashed just .259/.296/.327 in 251 major-league games since the beginning of the 2021 season.

Downs was designated for assignment by the Nationals on Tuesday.

The Nats needed to clear out 40-man roster space in order to finalize their one-year agreements with both Nick Senzel and Dylan Floro. Downs ranked as a top-100 prospect a few years ago, but he's slashed just .182/.260/.273 in 50 career plate appearances at the major-league level and posted an underwhelming .236/.358/.379 batting line across 51 games last season with Triple-A Rochester.

Atlanta acquired Fletcher and Max Stassi (hip/personal) from the Angels on Friday in exchange for Evan White (hip) and Tyler Thomas, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Fletcher enjoyed a mini breakout during the COVID-shortened 2020 season and landed a five-year, $26 million contract extension from the Angels the following spring, but he has slashed just .259/.296/.327 in 251 major-league games since the beginning of the 2021 campaign. The 29-year-old infielder still has a guaranteed $15.5 million left on his deal, which runs through 2025 with an $8 million club option for 2026 and an $8.5 million club option for 2027.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton confirmed Monday that Cruz (ankle) has resumed participating in instructional games in the Dominican Republic this offseason, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Cruz hasn't yet taken part in any official Dominican Winter League games and may not before the 50-game regular season ends in late December, but the fact that he's taking live at-bats again as well as playing the field suggests that he's made a full recovery from the fractured left ankle he suffered April 9. Assuming the 25-year-old avoids any setbacks in his offseason program while he continues to train in the Dominican Republic, he should report to spring training with no restrictions. Though he essentially lost a season of development at the big-league level while recovering from ankle surgery, Cruz has youth in his favor as he looks to bounce back from the major injury. His impressive bat speed and sprint speed has been matched by few players during his time in the majors and should translate to some solid power and stolen-base numbers in 2024 even while he shakes off some rust, but Cruz's lengthy absence didn't do anything to quell the concerns about his plate discipline that existed even before he fractured his ankle.

Grissom could platoon in left field with Jarred Kelenic while also serving as Atlanta's top reserve infielder, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Atlanta wants to get Grissom's bat in the lineup, but it just needs to find a spot for him. He is playing left field in the Puerto Rican Winter League beginning this month, and it seems like he and the lefty-hitting Kelenic will be legitimately competing for at-bats this season. General manager Alex Anthopoulos told reporters Sunday that Kelenic's arrival from Seattle signals an end to their left-field pursuits this winter. If any of Atlanta's infielders get injured, the righty-hitting Grissom could step into more playing time.

McLain said Thursday that his late-season right oblique strain is fully healed, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

McLain landed on the injured list Aug. 28 after straining his right oblique and then suffered a setback just as he was about to return to the Reds in late September. He began light workouts in late October, however, and is now back to full strength here at the end of November. "Things are going good," said the 2023 breakout infielder. "I started to swing, no problems. Lifting, no problems."

Wendle signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Mets on Wednesday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

After two seasons with the Marlins, Wendle will remain in the NL East and presumably serve in a utility role with the Mets. The 33-year-old infielder had his worst season at the plate in 2023, slashing .212/.248/.306 across 318 plate appearances. While Wendle's defensive versatility may get him in the lineup fairly often next year, his poor bat puts a low ceiling on his fantasy value.

Velazquez signed a minor-league contract with Atlanta on Friday.

Velazquez was claimed by Atlanta in early September after beginning the 2023 campaign in the Angels organization. He hit .217 with four runs, four RBI and a steal over 14 games at Triple-A Gwinnett but elected free agency in early November. However, after testing free agency for a few weeks, he'll rejoin Atlanta and could compete for a reserve spot on the team's Opening Day roster this spring.

McCoy signed a minor-league contract, which includes an invitation to big-league spring training, with the Padres on Sunday, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

McCoy made his big-league debut with Toronto in 2023 but played in just six games, spending most of the campaign at the Triple-A level. He'll likely serve as organizational infield depth for San Diego in 2024.