The Nationals are nearing a Minor League deal with veteran catcher Welington Castillo, a source told MLB.com¡¯s Mark Feinsand. The club has not announced the deal, which is expected to include a non-roster invitation to big league Spring Training.

The 32-year-old Castillo spent the last two seasons with the White Sox, batting a combined .230 with 18 home runs across 432 plate appearances. He also ranked among the game¡¯s best catchers in average pop time on throws to second base, per Statcast.

Castillo was suspended for 80 games in 2018 after testing positive for Erythropoietin (EPO), a performance-enhancing substance, in violation of Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

Veterans Kurt Suzuki and Yan Gomes -- the Nationals¡¯ two primary catchers from their run to the 2019 World Series title -- remain on Washington¡¯s active roster.