Culberson will look to catch on with another team.
Charlie Culberson, a fan-favorite of the Braves who was attempting to defy the odds and become a reliever after years of work as a utility man, was released by the club on Thursday.
Culberson, 35 next month, signed a minor league deal with Atlanta and made three appearances in spring training games. He worked a scoreless inning in his debut on February 29, but he surrendered six runs across his next two appearances on March 9 and 17.
While it would have been quite the story for Culberson to make the roster as a reliever, he faced a (very) steep hill to climb in order to crack one of the better bullpens in baseball.
The Braves effectively set their big league roster a week ago by reassigning numerous players to minor league camp who were in contention for a roster spot. With Culberson clearly not making the team, it made sense to release him and give Charlie the opportunity to catch on elsewhere in 2024, whether in the bullpen or off the bench.
Opening day is officially less than a week away for the Braves, who will open up Thursday, March 28 in Philadelphia with Spencer Strider and Zack Wheeler on the mound.