Paul Kinzer, the agent for Cubs infielder Starlin Castro, said the report that his client was detained or arrested after a shooting in a Dominican Republic night club is false and Castro was not involved.

Hiroki Kuroda has decided to return to Japan and pitch for his first professional team, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, according to multiple reports.

John Holdzkom isn’t even certain how many times he has been released. “Five or six. Not fun,” said Holdzkom, a tall man short on words. He does, however, pinpoint the most disheartening release episode.

Tropicana Field, the home of Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays, took on a different role on Friday night as N.C. State earned a 34-37 win over Central Florida in the Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl.

Expanded replay was one of the most significant on-field changes baseball has made in decades. For the first time, some 90 percent of calls could be challenged by managers. And the mantra all along remained the same: Get it right.

It has been one of the busiest offseasons in recent years, but there are still some issues that teams have to address. Here are 10 heading into the New Year.

Hiroki Kuroda is returning to Japan to pitch for Nippon Professional Baseball, according to multiple reports.

After a cat — later named Evie for then-A’s owner Walter Hess Jr.’s wife — scampered onto Oakland’s field on May 7, 1990, Hall of Fame manager and current D-backs chief baseball officer Tony La Russa adopted it and started the Animal Rescue Foundation.

Boston College and Penn State have both distinguished themselves on defense, but Saturday’s Pinstripe Bowl will bring two key elements together. B.C. has ranked as one of the top rushing teams in the country this season, but nobody has been better against the run than Penn State.

One of the most dynamic performances in recent baseball history was rooted in an understatement. Giants manager Bruce Bochy only expected Madison Bumgarner to pitch three innings in Game 7 of the World Series, but the lefty capped an incredible postseason run with a scoreless outing to defeat the Royals and cement his place in history.

The Astros announced Friday that left-hander Darin Downs has been outrighted to Triple-A Fresno and infielder Gregorio Petit has accepted his assignment to Fresno.

The Nationals signed second baseman Dan Uggla to a Minor League contract with an invitation to Spring Training on Friday.

Here’s the thing Jeff Banister’s life in baseball: He loves every moment of it, every single moment. No man on this planet ever loved his job more than this one. He oozes positive energy, and lots of it. Maybe that’s why he’s the new manager of the Rangers. It’s so plainly obvious that he cares so much about his players, his profession, his organization.

Many observers have maintained that Madison Bumgarner won the 2014 World Series for the Giants single-handedly. After all, he won Games 1 and 5 before saving Game 7 with five stunning scoreless innings of relief that capped a remarkable postseason. But other Giants also had a hand in the club’s excellence.

The 2014 regular season was great for the Nationals. They won their second division title in three years, this time by 17 games over the Braves and Mets. It helped that they had a dominant pitching staff, led by Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann.

The nation’s greatest storehouse of knowledge has developed a healthy baseball habit. The Library of Congress has traced the history and maturation of America for more than 200 years, and baseball has weaved its way into the national consciousness in surprising ways.

Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez has offered some baseball-related holiday cheer on social media.