The Atlanta Braves fired Charlie Culberson on Saturday, which dealt a blow to his quest to reinvent himself as a pitcher at the age of 34.
This season, the veteran utility player, a right-handed pitcher with 99 extra-base hits in his 11-year major league career, attended spring training with the Braves on a minor league contract.
Throughout his 586 career games, Culberson has mostly played left field and infield. However, he has pitched 7⅓ innings in eight regular-season outings, recording a 1.23 ERA without a decision. This spring, Culberson had three appearances as a pitcher and was charged with six earned runs in two innings.
According to reports, Culberson is not thinking about retiring. Though he only appeared in one game for the Braves last season, the lifetime.248 hitter has 30 home runs and 145 RBIs in his career with the San Francisco Giants (2012), Colorado Rockies (2013–14), Los Angeles Dodgers (2016–17), Braves (2018–20), and Texas Rangers (2021–23).
