Yanks notes: Passing on Cuban star Castillo  —  Pass on Castillo  —  The Yankees have ended any pursuit of Cuban outfielder/second baseman Rusney Castillo, according to an industry source.  Castillo's power-and-speed element has him linked to interest by several other clubs …

Pirates activate Andrew McCutchen from the disabled list  —  Andrew McCutchen is off the disabled list and back in the Pirates' lineup after missing the minimum 15 days with a fractured rib.  —  McCutchen actually remained on the active roster for most of that time before the Pirates finally shut …

Cespedes reflects on deal sending him to Red Sox  —  Slugging outfielder shares fond memories of time playing in Oakland  —  BOSTON — Yoenis Cespedes has made a fast friend in David Ortiz.  The slugging pair was cozied up to the batting cage on a recent evening at Fenway Park …

Chapman day to day with sore shoulder  —  ST. LOUIS — One night after his worst performance of the season, the Reds did not have the services of closer Aroldis Chapman on Monday night vs. the Cardinals because of a sore left shoulder.  —  Chapman faced four batters and walked …

Braves Jump on Liriano in 11-3 Win Over Pirates  —  PITTSBURGH — Justin Upton smashed his 24th home run of the season to spoil Andrew McCutchen's return as the Atlanta Braves beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-3 on Tuesday night.  —  Upton's three-run homer off Francisco Liriano (3-10) in the third broke things open early.

Astros' Jose Altuve Doesn't Let Height Be a Disadvantage  —  The Houston Astros may be the most data-driven organization in baseball, or at least the one most willing to try new ideas.  Yet there are no statistical models that would project the smallest player in the majors to be the game's best hitter.

Mets make it five straight games with four or fewer hits in loss to Cubs … The way the Mets have been struggling at the plate lately, a deficit must feel as hopeless as trying to swiftly navigate New York City rush-hour traffic.  —  For the fifth straight game, they were held to four or fewer hits.

Sabermetrics Gets Soft  —  Last Saturday, on the first morning of the fourth annual “Sabermetrics, Scouting, and the Science of Baseball” seminar in Boston ("Saber Seminar" for short), Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow strode onto the auditorium stage at BU's School of Management.

La Russa: Report on Gibson's future inaccurate  —  WASHINGTON — Tony La Russa declined to meet with reporters Tuesday, but through a spokesperson, the D-backs' chief baseball officer said a USA Today report that stated the “D-backs currently plan to bring back” manager Kirk Gibson for 2015 was inaccurate.

Angels lose challenge, while Red Sox win theirs  —  Ruling on Napoli's slide stands; review overturns safe call on Pujols  —  BOSTON — Angels manager Mike Scioscia burned his challenge early in Monday's 4-2 victory, when replay officials ruled a call would stand that Red Sox …

Sources: Texas Rangers to lose senior special assistant to San Diego Padres' front office  —  Senior Special Assistant to the GM & Scouting for the Texas Rangers, Don Welke, during the Texas Rangers workout at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington Friday afternoon, October 7, 2011.  (Brad Loper/The Dallas Morning News)

Indians Extend Scott Atchison  —  The Indians have agreed to a one-year, $1MM extension with righty Scott Atchison, the club announced via press release.  According to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com (via Twitter), Atchison will earn $900K next season.  The deal includes a $1MM club option for 2016, which comes with a $100K buyout.