Nationals' Welington Castillo: Sidelined with shoulder issue

Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Wednesday that Castillo has been battling a shoulder injury since the start of camp, but the catcher has since been cleared to resume a throwing program, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Castillo has yet to play in any of the Nationals' Grapefruit League games thus far because of the injury, but with Martinez noting that the 33-year-old is in the process of building up to game speed, his spring debut could be imminent. Yan Gomes and Alex Avila will head into Opening Day as the Nationals' clear top two catchers, so Castillo is realistically battling Tres Barrera for the No. 3 spot on the depth chart, if the team elects to break camp with three backstops.