On Thursday, Charlie Culberson was preparing for a late-morning game when Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos called him.
Anthopoulos told Culberson the Braves were bringing him up Friday – a full-circle moment of sorts for the veteran utility man who spent three seasons here.
“To be back, it doesn’t seem like I’ve left,” Culberson said at his locker at Truist Park on Friday. “It’s kind of cool. It’s pretty awesome.”
The Braves on Friday announced they selected Culberson’s contract. He had been playing with Triple-A Gwinnett on a minor-league deal, but the Braves needed him when unforeseen circumstances occurred.
Culberson – and not Ehire Adrianza – took Braden Shewmake’s roster spot after the Braves optioned Shewmake on Thursday.
Adrianza suffered a left shoulder strain on a swing. The Braves transferred him to the 60-day injured list, meaning he won’t return until sometime in July, at the earliest. He went on the IL earlier this month with right elbow inflammation. Adrianza began a rehab assignment last week, and went 5-for-14, with four RBIs, over four games.
“I hate it for him because he was kind of scheduled to be the guy to come back,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “But now, he’s going to be down for a significant amount of time.”
Culberson, who grew up in Rome, is happy to be back with the Braves, after playing with them from 2018-20. “It was a nice surprise to come up here,” he said. “Not sure for how long, but I’m going to enjoy each day at a time.” He’s appreciative to be a part of this team.
When he departed, the Braves had won three consecutive National League East titles.
Now they’ve captured five in a row, and are in first place as they look for a sixth consecutive division crown.
“The Braves have been on a tear for a while now,” Culberson said. “And to be able to just be one little piece of the puzzle here, to help out in any way that I can, I’ve always said that: That’s just (being) a part of a team, right? Just kind of do your part, be available, be a good person and go out there and do it for your teammates, and for your coaches, and for the fans. Put them first, and good things happen.”
For Gwinnett, the 34-year-old Culberson hit .204 with a .489 OPS over 98 at-bats before the Braves brought him up to be with them. He had one home run and 10 RBIs.
Over Culberson’s three seasons with the Braves, he hit .265 with a .768 OPS over 438 at-bats. He can play almost anywhere and has appeared primarily at second base, shortstop, third base and the outfield during his major-league career.
If everything goes as expected, Culberson likely won’t play much. The addition of the designated hitter has rendered the 26th man somewhat unnecessary. But he should add a lot to the clubhouse chemistry.
“I know my role. I know kind of where I stand,” Culberson said. “But I do have a jersey, I do have a number, which is cool. … We’re a team. If they need me with whatever it may be, I’m obviously going to be ready, and I’m excited for that. If I don’t see the field, then that means good things are happening for us. But you never know what happens in this game, and I’m going to try my best to take advantage of it and enjoy one day at a time.”
Added Snitker on Friday: “It was good to see him come in today. I think it’s a good move. (Shewmake) needs to go play. He doesn’t need to be sitting up here. Charlie can fill a lot of roles, play a lot of positions, just do a lot of things. I think that’s a really good call to have somebody of Charlie’s character, and the makeup and what he’s done for us here in the past. I feel good about having him available.”
Before this year, Culberson had spent parts of 10 seasons in the majors – first with the Giants, then the Rockies, then the Dodgers, then the Braves and, most recently, the Rangers.
He’s learned many lessons along the way.
“Just stick with it. Just keep a positive attitude,” he said. “I think there’s some times that we get down on ourselves, we start thinking this way or that way. But I feel like you have to have good people around you – whether that’s family, friends – that push you because you can’t do it all by yourself. And I’ve learned that many times. But I’ve had a good support group, from my family, from friends, from the fan base, with wherever I’ve been at, and that kind of helps me keep going, keep moving forward.
“To think that I’d be back with the Braves in May of 2023, being in spring training (this year) with the Rays and not knowing where I was gonna sign at the end of spring training, I didn’t think this was going to happen. But like I said, I’ve had a lot of good people around me to keep pushing me and allow me to stay positive. And (be) like, ‘Hey, if you’re still healthy, you still have the mindset to do it, keep going.’ And that’s the thing is you just keep going.”
Culberson, as he mentioned in that quote, spent spring training with the Rays. They eventually granted him his release, which signified that he didn’t make the team out of camp.
Culberson then connected with Anthopoulos, who gave him a minor-league deal. He said he took a few weeks to get settled in at Gwinnett, but mentioned that it’s been a nice transition. He’s living at home in Marietta, which has been a positive for him and his family.
“I’ve always said that I’m never above the game, never above the minor leagues,” Culberson said. “Sometimes it’s just a path we have to take to get where we want to go. I love all the guys there – the staff, the players. You get really close with one another. You’re with each other a lot, and the clubhouses are smaller. You do a lot of cool things together, and you just bond.”
No one knows how long Culberson will be in the big-league clubhouse.
It’s clear, though, that having a locker in there means a lot to him.
“The Braves hold a pretty special place in my heart,” he said. “Just being here for three seasons and going through three division titles, and a chance to make a good run at the postseason, and to be back, there’s obviously something different about this team, this clubhouse and how Alex has been running things over here for quite some time now.
“You can definitely tell that Atlanta has changed for the better.”
Culberson’s reaction to wearing No. 53 – a jersey number he didn’t choose – represents his gratitude for this opportunity.
“I’ve had many different numbers, and 53 is OK,” he said. “It works. This is my third number here, and like I’ve always said: Any number is a good number when you’re here, so I’m not complaining.”
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