The Braves made several roster moves Tuesday morning, including designating utilityman and fan favorite Charlie Culberson for assignment.
Culberson, 31, has appeared in only 10 games this season, going 1-for-7 with a double and two runs scored. He also recorded one out Friday, entering as a reliever with the bases loaded and retiring the Nationals’ Trea Turner.
Short on pitching, especially with ace Max Fried going on the injured list, the Braves swapped out Culberson for right-hander Jacob Webb. Webb, who had an excellent rookie season, was reinstated from the 45-day IL.
“I’ve had a bunch of conversations with Charlie in the last week or 10 days, explaining to him that we may be in a position where we have to make a move like this,” general manager Alex Anthopoulos said. “With the way the roster has been set up, now with no off-days, we have to make sure we’re covered with innings in the bullpen, and now with Max going down for this period, we just didn’t want to be short.”
This is the Rome native’s third season with the Braves. The team non-tendered Culberson in the winter but re-signed him on a minor-league deal. He was competing for a spot in spring training before the shutdown. When MLB resumed, he made the expanded opening-day roster out of camp.
While Culberson played sparingly, he’s beloved by the organization and his versatility always will be an asset. The Braves hope to get Culberson back and assign him to their alternate training site in Gwinnett.
“I’ve had a very good relationship with Charlie for a long time, and I’ve always been transparent with him,” Anthopoulos said. “The first time the conversation came up was when we had to make a move for Matt Adams. It was just with the way we were set up, Charlie was likely going to be the next spot.
“Hopefully we’ll get him back down at Gwinnett and he can join us again at some point. As you would expect, Charlie was a complete pro. He understood where the club was and what position we’re in and that we have the need for an arm, especially with Max down.”
