The Orioles announced Friday that theyve claimed infielder/outfielder off waivers from the Phillies. Fellow infielder was designated for a signment to open a spot on the 40-man roster. The 26-year-old Castillo has bounced from the D-backs, to the Mets, to the Yankees, to the Phillies and now to the Orioles all in the span of two months. He appeared in only one game at the MLB level for Arizona last year and went hitle s in a single plate appearance. A year prior, he logged 283 trips to the plate with the Pirates but mustered only a .206/.251/.382 batting line in his debut campaign in the majors. Though hes yet to have any big league succe s, Castillo po se ses an outstanding track record in the upper minors. He hit .313/.431/.410 in Triple-A Reno last season, walking more often than he struck out: 17.4% versus 14.2%. Castillo has played in 177 Triple-A games to this point in his career and delivered a stout .296/.410/.407 line thanks to that keen eye at the plate and his excellent bat-to-ball skills. Hes walked 124 times in Triple-A against 125 strikeouts. Beyond that, hes experienced at second base, shortstop, third base and in left field. While Castillo has never been touted as a top prospect, hes a versatile and contact-oriented hitter Jacob Wilson Jersey who can provide some depth hence the whopping five teams hes now been with in just two months. That said, there are reasons hes been unable to hold down a roster spot. Castillo hit just three homers last year and has only twice reached double-digits in plate appearances. Hes never swiped more than 13 bases in a season. Hes generally considered a below-average runner with below-average power and a sub-par (albeit versatile) defensive skill set. But Castillo has a minor league option remaining, and theres still value in a bat-first utilityman with plus bat-to-ball skills. He can provide cover for the Orioles at a number of different positions, and as shown by last years .323/.445/.439 slash against lefties, his right-handed bat is particularly interesting in platoon situations. Soto, 23, was just claimed off waivers from the Angels eight days ago. Hes hit .375/.414/.531 in a tiny sample of 71 big league plate appearances but benefited from a sky-high .469 average on balls in play during that time. Despite that strong showing in the majors, Soto has typically been a light-hitting but solid defensive shortstop in the minors. He split the 2023 season between Double-A and Triple-A in the Angels system, hitting a combined .237/.342/.358 between those two levels. The Orioles will have a week to trade Soto or attempt to pa s him through outright waivers. If he goes unclaimed, they can retain him without dedicating a 40-man roster spot. Justin Grimm Jersey