There was no previous indication that either player had been designated for assignment but these kinds of moves are common at this time of year, as most clubs are facing upcoming roster crunches. The 60-day injured list goes away five days after the World Series, meaning several players need to retake 40-man spots. Some will also become free agents but many clubs often end up with more than 40 players in the mix.
Major League Baseball announced yesterday that the automated ball-strike challenge system will be implemented in the 2026 season, complete with a corporate partnership with T-Mobile. (Yes, that's where we are in late capitalism: rules now have corporate sponsors.) If you've been to any AAA games over the past few years, or paid attention during spring training, then you already know how this works. Every team starts each game with two challenges, which are retained when a challenge is successful.