Charlie Culberson was released by the Braves, according to the team’s official MLB.com transaction record. After 17 professional seasons as a utility player, including 11 in the majors, Culberson was trying to make the switch to pitching when he signed a minor league contract to rejoin the Braves in January.
Culberson informed Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he will keep looking for more playing opportunities, so it doesn’t seem like this is the end for him as a player. Although Culberson said he wasn’t yet considering retirement in a separate interview with Toscano last month, he turns 35 next month.
After making his MLB debut with the Giants in 2012, Culberson has played for five different organizations, amassing a slash line of.248/.294/.386 over 1312 career plate appearances. Since Culberson signed four separate minor league contracts with Atlanta over the past year, this includes 231 games across what are effectively six unique stays with the Braves. Culberson was designated for assignment by the Braves twice, but he opted for free agency instead of being assigned outright. Nevertheless, Culberson swiftly signed a new contract and returned to the team.
The transactional shuffles were a part of Culberson’s unusual season, as he appeared in just 27 games at Triple-A Gwinnett and just one Major League game. Despite spending several months on the Braves’ active roster, Culberson didn’t really have many opportunities to acquire playing time because Atlanta has a tendency to rarely rest its key players. As a result, Culberson described 2023 as a “tough” season to Toscano, which in part led him to decide to give throwing a try as an alternative means of contributing to a big league club.
Along with his far longer resume at all four infield positions, as a left fielder, and a few games in right field, Culberson has made eight mop-up appearances as a pitcher, totaling 7 1/3 innings. In just six of his twelve Major League seasons has Culberson reached 100 plate appearances. However, in 2021, while he was a member of the rebuilding Rangers, he did manage 271 PA and 90 appearances.
This year, Culberson had three appearances during Spring Training and was tagged with six earned runs in two innings of work. There were undoubtedly going to be some challenges for Culberson in pursuing his new role, and it’s unclear if he’ll stick with trying his hand at pitching or if he might go back to his well-known utility role in the event that another team needs depth at the position. The Georgia native’s wish to remain near to home would not be surprising if he signs a new contract with the Braves, but his desire to play seems to be at odds with Atlanta’s deep squad.
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