The Rangers announced that they’ve signed infielder/outfielder Charlie Culberson to a minor league contract and invited him to Major League Spring Training.
Culberson, 31, has spent the past three seasons with the Braves, shaking off a slow start that drew the ire of some fans to emerge as something of a cult hero in Atlanta thanks to some memorable clutch hits. Culberson certainly has a flair for the dramatic, having connected on several walk-off homers in his career — including a division-clinching walk-off shot for the Dodgers on Vin Scully’s final call at Dodger Stadium.
Though he was an oft-used utilityman for the Braves in 2018-19, Culberson tallied just seven plate appearances in 2020 and collected just one hit. Dating back to 2016, however, he’s totaled 556 plate appearances between the Dodgers and Braves, batting a combined .266/.312/.440 slash. Culberson has logged most of his time in the Majors at either shortstop or in left field, but he’s played all four infield spots and both outfield corners in the big leagues (in addition to 3 1/3 innings of one-run ball on the mound).