Whiteside has decided to retire from active competition and take a job as a coach with the Giants, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The 35-year-old signed a minor league contract with the Braves back in November, but it seems he soured on the idea of toiling in the minors for another year and will instead embark on a new journey. Whiteside will return to the Giants, with whom he spent the 2009-2012 season, after going 3-for-25 in eight games with the Cubs in 2014.

Whiteside signed a minor league contract with the Braves, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports.

Whiteside spent the majority of the 2014 season in Triple-A, hitting .214 with six homers. In limited MLB action, he's slashed .210/.265/.327 in parts of six seasons, but he'll likely just serve as organizational depth behind the plate.

Cubs sent C Eli Whiteside outright to Triple-A Iowa.

Whiteside had been designated for assignment, but he's cleared waivers and will remain in the organization. The veteran catcher had just three hits in 25 at-bats during his time with the big club.

Cubs designated C Eli Whiteside for assignment.

Whiteside had just three hits in 25 at-bats during his time with the big club. The Cubs will hope he clears waivers and goes back to Triple-A Iowa as depth.

Cubs purchased the contract of C Eli Whiteside from Triple-A Iowa.

Whiteside will serve as the backup to Cubs catcher John Baker while Welington Castillo (back) is on the disabled list. Whiteside was hitting .171/.235/.295 at Iowa.

Cubs signed C Eli Whiteside to a minor league contract.

The 34-year-old backstop will receive an invitation to spring training as well. He spent the entire 2013 season at Triple-A Round Rock where even in the offensive-rich PCL he slashed a putrid .187/.242/.280 with five homers and 25 RBI. He'll function as organizational depth for the Cubs.

Eli Whiteside (calf) has resumed baseball activities.

Whiteside has been dealing with a mild calf strain since the start of spring training. If all goes well, he could return to Cactus League games later this week.

Rangers sent C Eli Whiteside outright to Triple-A Round Rock.

Whiteside was claimed by three different teams this offseason, but has cleared waivers and will remain in the Rangers' organization. He'll go into spring training as the third catcher behind A.J. Pierzynski and Geovany Soto.

Rangers designated C Eli Whiteside for assignment.

It's the second time he's been cut from an organization this offseason. Whiteside, a .215/.273/.335 career hitter, tallied only 11 major league at-bats in 2012.

Rangers claimed C Eli Whiteside off waivers from the Yankees.

It's the third time Whiteside has changed teams this offseason. He was 1-for-12 (.091) in 2012 with the Giants and is doubtful to ever hold any sort of fantasy value.

Yankees designated C Eli Whiteside for assignment.

The move creates space on the Yankees' roster for Andy Pettitte, who re-signed on Wednesday. Whiteside recently inked a one-year, $625,000 deal with New York and should remain with the club as organizational depth.

Yankees avoided arbitration with C Eli Whiteside by agreeing to a one-year contract.

Financial terms aren't available, but it will surely be a modest deal. Whiteside, who was claimed off waivers from the Giants earlier this month, owns a .215/.273/.335 batting line and a .608 OPS over 537 plate appearances in the big leagues.

Yankees claimed C Eli Whiteside off waivers from the Giants.

Whiteside, 33, appeared in 12 games with the Giants this year and owns a .215/.273/.335 batting line and a .608 OPS over 537 plate appearances in the big leagues. He will likely struggle to win a roster spot during spring training.

The Giants are considering adding Eli Whiteside to their World Series roster.

Whiteside's addition would come at the expense of a reliever. By putting another catcher on the roster, the Giants would be able to use Hector Sanchez in the designated hitter spot for games in Detroit.

Giants optioned C Eli Whiteside to Triple-A Fresno.

Whiteside managed a walk and a hit in nine plate appearances with San Francisco. He should be back in September.

Giants re-signed C Eli Whiteside to a minor league contract.

The Giants non-tendered Whiteside earlier this week but wound up bringing him back at a lesser salary than he would have made through arbitration. The 32-year-old batted just .197/.264/.310 over 236 plate appearances this past season, but the Giants value his defense. He's the favorite to back up Buster Posey in 2012.

John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Giants are nearing a deal with Eli Whiteside.

Whiteside was non-tendered earlier this week so that the Giants could avoid paying him a hefty raise via arbitration. They're close to signing him back at a cheaper rate.

Giants non-tendered C Eli Whiteside.

Not a surprise. Whiteside, 32, batted just .197/.264/.310 over 236 plate appearances this past season. The Giants haven't ruled out bringing him back at a cheaper salary than he would have made through arbitration, but Chris Stewart appears to be the favorite for the backup catcher job right now.

Updating a previous item, Eli Whiteside did not undergo surgery on his right elbow.

Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News reported Wednesday that Whiteside had elbow surgery, but he actually had an injection of enriched blood to speed healing. Either way, he's expected to be non-tendered before the December 12 deadline. The 32-year-old backstop batted .197/.264/.310 over 236 plate appearances this season.

Eli Whiteside recently underwent surgery on his right elbow.

The elbow bothered him for most of the 2011 season and affected his throwing. He's doing well now but is expected to be non-tendered by the Giants. The 32-year-old should be able to find work somewhere as a backup.