Braves designate Charlie Culberson for assignment before dad was set to throw out first pitch

Atlanta Braves infielder Charlie Culberson had a Father’s Day he will most likely want to forget.

The Braves designated Culberson for assignment hours before his father was set to throw out the ceremonial first pitch for the team’s Father’s Day celebration. Culberson was brought up from Triple-A Gwinnett on May 19 but had yet to appear in any major league games.

After Culberson was let go, the father of Braves outfielder Michael Harris II took care of the first pitch at Truist Park. Harris went 5-for-5 and scored three times for the Braves in their 14-6 win over the Colorado Rockies.

Culberson was a San Francisco Giants first-round pick of the 2007 MLB Draft, and he made his debut in 2012 with the club.

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Before the 2013 season, he was traded to the Colorado Rockies for Marco Scutaro, and he played two seasons with the team. He would play for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016 and 2017 before he had his first stint in Atlanta.

He played three seasons with the Braves from 2018 to 2020. He batted .265 with 17 home runs and 63 runs scored in that span. He joined the Texas Rangers before the start of the 2021 season and played with them until the 2022 season.

Culberson was hitting .204 with a .489 OPS and a home run in 24 games with Gwinnett before he was DFA’d.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.