Braves part ways with fan favorite

The Braves didn’t have many position battles this Spring Training. That’s what happens when you return most of a 100+ win roster from the year before.

The fifth spot in the rotation was up for grabs, but Reynaldo Lopez always seemed primed to get the first nod because Bryce Elder and the rest of the young arms have options.

The bullpen did feature some stiff competition at the bottom with Tyler Matzek, Jackson Stephans, and Dylan Lee edging out Ray Kerr and Ken Giles, among others.

The storylines were few and far between too. Spencer Strider’s new curveball and Jared Kelenic’s changes at the plate were about the only juicy headlines. However, there was a little bit of an underdog story brewing.

Charlie Culberson, who is beloved in Braves Country, was attempting to do something that you only see in Disney movies, becoming a reliever after years of work as a super utility player.

Unfortunately, the Braves released the 35-year-old on Thursday after he signed a minor league deal with Atlanta and made three appearances in spring training games.

In his first appearance, he threw a scoreless inning in his debut but followed it up with six earned runs over his next two. It was always a long shot that Culberson would make it as a reliever because of the sheer pitching depth in the organization, but it was still fun to say, “What if?”

The Braves set their 26-man roster about a week ago, so this move allows Culberson to potentially catch on elsewhere in 2024, whether it’s out of a bullpen or some club’s bench.

Regardless, Braves Country will always love Charlie Clutch.