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Charlie Culberson

Braves Place Tommy Milone On IL, Outright Charlie Culberson

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The Braves have placed southpaw Tommy Milone on the 10-day injured list with left elbow inflammation and outrighted infielder/outfielder Charlie Culberson to their alternate training site, per a team announcement. They recalled righty Huascar Ynoa to take Milone’s roster spot.

Owing largely to the injuries that have sidelined Mike Soroka and Cole Hamels for extended periods, the Braves entered the Aug. 31 trade deadline looking like a team in need of starting help. The well-traveled, soft-tossing Milone was their only acquisition in that area, though he did join the Braves after a good season-opening run in Baltimore. Milone posted a 3.99 ERA/3.89 FIP and 9.5 K/9 against 1.2 BB/9 in 29 1/3 innings as an Oriole, but his Braves tenure hasn’t gone nearly as well. While Milone has fanned nine hitters and walked two in 9 2/3 frames since the trade, opposing hitters have teed off on him for 16 earned runs on 22 hits.

Now, with so little time left in the season, it’s unclear whether Milone’s elbow will heal quickly enough for him to return. He’s now the fourth Braves starting option on the IL, joining Soroka, Hamels and Cy Young contender Max Fried. The Braves still hold a two-game lead in the NL East in spite of their injuries, but their rotation looks dangerously thin at the moment. Fortunately for them, Hamels and Fried may not miss much more time.

Culberson was a fairly regular member of the Braves’ lineup from 2018-19, in which he accumulated 466 plate appearances and batted a respectable .267/.316/.457 with 17 home runs. He also lined up at several positions then and has played at multiple spots this year, though he hasn’t accrued many at-bats in 2020. Before the Braves designated Culberson for assignment Tuesday, he went 1-for-7 with four strikeouts.

Braves Place Max Fried On IL, DFA Charlie Culberson, And Other Roster Moves

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The Atlanta Braves announced a number of roster moves this morning, the most consequential of which was placing ace Max Fried on the injured list, retroactive to September 6th, the team announced. Also, Kyle Wright was recalled and Jacob Webb reinstated from the injured list. Fan favorite utility man Charlie Culberson was designated for assignment.

Fried might be the single most important player on the Braves roster right now as the only reliable high-end arm in the rotation. In the wake of Mike Soroka’s season-ending injury, Mike Foltynewicz’s demotion, and Cole Hamels’ injury, Fried has ably stepped up and developed into an ace for the Braves. He’s currently a top contender for the Cy Young in the National League with a 6-0 record through 9 starts, 50 innings, a 1.98 ERA/2.47 FIP, and zero home runs allowed.

A worrying drop in velocity hit a season low in his last start on Saturday, as illustrated here by PitcherList.com (via Twitter), averaging just 91.7 mph after being as high as 94.1 mph for his first two starts of the year . The injury listed is a left-side muscle spasm of the lumbar spine, aka back spasms. The Braves are obviously hopeful that some rest and treatment can get him back on the hill.

In the meantime, Hamels is on the comeback trail, and he could be activated as soon as next Monday, per Baseball America’s Gabe Burns (via Twitter). For now, Wright will return from their alternate training site in Lawrenceville to re-join the rotation. The Braves will hope for better results this time around for the 24-year-old, who was hit with a 7.20 ERA/6.48 FIP while going 0-3 in 4 starts earlier this season – though The Athletic’s David O’Brien reports that Wright is just up for a spot start. Still, Wright is highly regarded, their 4th ranked prospect by Fangraphs, Baseball America, and MLB.com.

The 27-year-old Webb could provide boost to Atlanta’s right-side relief corps. Webb has yet to appear in 2020, but he put up a 1.39 ERA in 39 games in 2019 – his first big league experience. The 6’2″ right-hander brings a 95 mph heater buttressed by a curveball and 86 mph change that generated a 40% Whiff% in 2019.

Culberson, 31, only appeared in 9 games this season going 1 for 7 with a double and RBI. The utlilty man has mostly been used as a pinch-runner this season. Culberson had some big hits for the 2019 Braves, but he took a Fernando Rodney fastball to the cheek on a bunt attempt in Washington which broke his cheekbone and ended his season. Culberson hasn’t seen regular playing time since the injury.

Braves Select Charlie Culberson

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The Braves announced this afternoon that they’ve selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Charlie Culberson. Atlanta non-tendered the 31-year-old this past offseason but quickly re-signed him to a minor league pact. He’ll now play a third straight season in Atlanta.

Culberson provided some big hits for the Braves in 2018, shaking off a terrible start to the season and emerging as a fan favorite after a career-best .270/.326/.466 batting line in 322 plate appearances that season. Things didn’t go as well for Culberson in 2019, as his line dipped to .259/.294/.437 in 144 plate appearances. Culberson has played every position except catcher and center field in the Majors — including three innings on the mound. He’ll give the Braves some versatility off the bench with rosters expanded to 30 players to begin the year. Culberson’s minor league deal included a $1MM base salary upon making the roster, and the prorated portion of that checks in just over $370K.

Quick Hits: Sign-Stealing Investigation Update, Padres, Myers, Hedges, Kluber, Braves, Culberson

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There seems little doubt now that the Astros participated in sign-stealing aided by a live feed from a centerfield camera. The Astros’ maintain their belief that actions at the time were “in line with industry standards,” per Andy Martino of SNY.tv. The newest sticking point is an insistence out of Houston that the camera in question was already in place and not purchased/installed specifically for the purpose of stealing signs. It may seem a bizarre place to draw a line in the sand – and on its own hardly exculpatory – but the installation of equipment does affect the breadth of involvement necessary to put their sign-stealing process in place. At least one witness claimed that many teams use a similar camera for the decoding of signs. Said the witness, “All we asked for was a live feed.” Astros’ hitting coach Alex Cintron played the part of antagonist as the conflict escalated between the Astros and Yankees during the ALCS, though as of right now, it’s unclear who might expect discipline beyond GM Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch. Regardless, it does seem that the investigation is progressing and disciple of some sort seems likely. Now, let’s get back to winter action and check in on a couple of clubs…

  • Count the San Diego Padres among those teams more focused on shedding contracts than adding them. GM A.J. Preller’s top priority right now is finding a taker for Wil Myers, per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Jayson Stark. Myers is due $22.5MM per season for the next three with a $20MM team option for 2023 that comes with a $1MM buyout. That’s a steep payout for a 29-year-old corner outfielder/first baseman who put up just 96 wRC+ last season. The Padres are also looking to move catcher Austin Hedges, who is set to make roughly $2.9MM this year and has two more arbitration seasons remaining. For the second straight offseason, they continue to talk with the Indians about Corey Kluber, tweets MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, though a deal on that front before Spring Training is unlikely. They remain curious about Dallas Keuchel and Madison Bumgarner as well, but a deal for any top pitcher seems unlikely unless they find a taker for Myers – which in and of itself presents Preller with a sizable challenge.
  • Charlie Culberson had a couple of major league offers, but none significant enough to outweigh the appeal of returning to Atlanta, per MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. The fanbase in Atlanta is quite fond of Culberson, a dirtdog and Atlanta native who plays all over the diamond for manager Brian Snitker. The minor league deal enables the Braves to utilize Culberson’s 40-man roster spot, while incentives in the deal give Culberson similar earning potential to what he’d seen in other offers. Outside of occasional pop, Culberson doesn’t offer a ton with the bat, but he’s a decent baserunner and plays everywhere on the diamond except catcher and centerfield. If nothing else, seeing Culberson return in a Braves uniform would be a heartwarming moment for fans after a brutal injury ended Culberson’s 2019. On a failed bunt attempt at Nats Park, Culberson took a Fernando Rodney fastball to the face that led to a fractured cheekbone. 

Braves Re-Sign Charlie Culberson

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The Braves announced that they have re-signed utilityman Charlie Culberson. It’s a minor league deal with a non-roster invitation for Spring Training. Culberson can earn at a $1MM rate in the majors, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter).

Culberson, 30, played a big role for the Atlanta organization in its two consecutive NL East title years, though his 2019 season was limited by injury. He was non-tendered at the outset of the offseason. Culberson had projected to earn a $1.8MM salary.

The Braves enjoyed big output from Culberson in 2018, when he emerged as a fan favorite even as statistics-based skepticism abounded. In 2019, Culberson actually managed to repeat his hefty batting average on balls in play and maintain much of the power growth he showed in the prior campaign. But his plate discipline issues caught up to him, as his 30.6% strikeout and 4.2% walk rates resulted in a .294 OBP through 144 plate appearances.

Culberson will face an uphill path to making the big club out of camp, but he’s a trusted hand for the organization and represents desirable depth. The arrangement works for the local product as well; as David O’Brien of The Athletic points out, Culberson lives in the Atlanta area and no doubt likes the idea of playing his home games in Gwinnett in the event he isn’t doing so in Cobb County.

Braves To Non-Tender Charlie Culberson

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The Braves will non-tender infielder/outfielder Charlie Culberson prior to tonight’s deadline, Robert Murray reports (via Twitter). MLB.com’s Mark Bowman tweeted not long before that the organization was considering such a move. Culberson will immediately become a free agent who is eligible to sign with any team.

It’ll go down as an unpopular move among Atlanta fans, as Culberson has not only distanced himself from a woeful slump to begin his Braves tenure in 2018 (.203/.266/.339 through his first two months) but also emerged as something of a fan favorite after excelling in some clutch situations in 2018. Overall, his 2018 campaign resulted in a productive .270/.326/.466 batting line through 322 plate appearances.

However, Culberson was limited to just 144 plate appearances in 2019 despite appearing in 108 games, and he wasn’t particularly productive when he did step to the plate, hitting .259/.294/.437 (83 OPS+, 85 wRC+). His 2019 season was cut short in September by a fractured cheek bone suffered upon being hit by a Fernando Rodney fastball, but there’s no indication to this point that he’s expected to miss time in 2020. Still, this year’s downturn in production landed him on our list of non-tender candidates late last week.

In all, Culberson posted a respectable .267/.316/.457 batting line in 466 plate appearances as a Brave, but the team apparently wasn’t comfortable with what he might earn in arbitration. (MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz had projected a $1.8MM salary.) Any club that picks him up would be able to sign him to just a one-year pact and still control him through the 2021 season via arbitration.

Charlie Culberson Fractures Cheek Bone, Out For Season

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Sunday: Culberson fractured a bone in his cheek on the play, tweets David O’Brien of the Athletic. While he won’t require surgery, he will miss the remainder of the season.

Saturday: A very heated scene ensued in D.C. this afternoon after a fastball from Washington’s Fernando Rodney struck Atlanta’s Charlie Culberson squarely in the face. Though Culberson, 30, was turned to bunt when at-bat in the top of the seventh, Rodney’s fastball apparently got away from him and connected near Culberson’s eye. Culberson was placed onto a medical cart by the Atlanta training staff and eventually motioned a “thumbs-up” to the crowd, but manager Brian Snitker would soon follow him off of the playing field after an ejection. Apparently incensed that home plate umpire Tim Timmons called the pitch a strike, Snitker vociferously mirrored much of the Twitter community’s feeling that, despite the fact that Culberson was indeed squared to bunt when the pitch hit him, the umpire should have spared the strike call in consideration of the bloody scene. Atlanta’s Fox Sports affiliate has video of the incident which shows both the aftermath of the HBP and Snitker’s ejection (Twitter links).

As for the potential, on-field ramifications of this incident, Atlanta can ill-afford to lose more position player depth. Johan Camargo was just this week felled by a fractured shin, and a lengthy absence for Culberson would further test Atlanta’s bench corps as the group gears up for postseason play.

Since the beginning of 2018, Culberson has provided the Braves with 466 plate appearances in which he has recorded a .267/.316/.457 slash line with 17 home runs and 65 RBI. Even more usefully, Snitker has employed the veteran at every position save for center field and catcher over the last two years, including some garbage-time relief pitching work. Further updates on Culberson’s injury will be provided as they become available.

Ender Inciarte Begins Rehab Assignment

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Injured Braves outfielder Ender Inciarte is officially on the path back to the majors. He launched a rehab assignment today, per a club announcement.

Inciarte will start things off with the club’s High-A affiliate. The Braves will surely exercise some caution in ramping him up. Back injuries can linger, as has already occurred in this particular case.

So long as Inciarte’s back doesn’t start barking again, he ought to move fairly swiftly back up the chain. The Braves ought to have at least a few weeks to see how Inciarte looks and fits on the MLB roster before making final deadline decisions.

As I argued about a month back, the left-handed-hitting center fielder still figures to be a useful piece for the Atlanta roster now and into the future. It’s hard to see Inciarte re-taking his everyday role, but he’d still fill a significant niche if he can get the bat going upon his return.

That said, his ultimately activation will still pose tough roster and playing-time questions. Austin Riley is still slugging, though his on-base numbers are sagging, while reserves Johan Camargo, Charlie Culberson, and Matt Joyce are all hitting quite well. It’s a good problem to have for the division-leading Braves.

Players Avoiding Arbitration: National League

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The deadline for players and teams to exchange arbitration figures passed yesterday at 1pm ET, and there has been a landslide of settlements on one-year deals to avoid an arbitration hearing. We’ll track those settlements from the National League in this post. Once all of the day’s settlements have filtered in, I’ll organize them by division to make them a bit easier to parse.

It’s worth mentioning that the vast majority of teams have adopted a “file and trial” approach to arbitration, meaning that once arbitration figures are exchanged with a player, negotiations on a one-year deal will cease. The two parties may still discuss a multi-year deal after that point, but the majority of players who exchange figures with their team today will head to an arbitration hearing.

As always, all salary projections referenced within this post are courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz, and we’ll also be updating our 2019 Arbitration Tracker throughout the day…

Today’s Updates

  • Rounding out contract numbers for the St. Louis Cardinals, Dominic Leone will take home $1.26MM, Chasen Shreve will make $900K, and outfielder Marcell Ozuna will earn $12.25MM in his last season before free agency, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter). Ozuna has the most high-impact potential as he looks to rebound from a still-productive season in 2018 that saw his power output hindered at times by a balky shoulder. He still managed 23 home runs and a .280/.325/.433 slash line while playing just about every day outside of a 10-day DL stint late in August.
  • The Diamondbacks came to terms with a slew of players, per Feinsand (via Twitter), including Matt Andriese for $920K, Steven Souza Jr. for $4.125MM, shortstop Nick Ahmed for $3.6625MM, and potential closer Archie Bradley for $1.83MM.
  • The Rockies and starting pitcher Jon Gray have come to an agreement on a $2.935MM deal, per Feinsand (via Twitter). Gray had an up-and-down 2018 that is generally considered to be more promising than the optics of his 5.12 ERA make it seem.
  • The Pirates have come to terms on one-year deals with both of their arbitration eligible players, per Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Left fielder Corey Dickerson signs for $8.5MM, and reliever Keone Kela takes home $3.175MM. It’s a small arb class for the Pirates, whose list will grow next season as players like Josh Bell, Jameson Taillon, and Joe Musgrove, among others, reach their first season of eligibility.
  • The Dodgers signed a couple of their remaining arbitration-eligible players yesterday, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (Twitter links). Utility man Chris Taylor has a $3.5MM deal, while outfield Joc Pederson settled at $5MM.

Earlier Updates

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NL East Notes: Anibal, Braves’ Roster, Kapler, Lagares

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After a resurgent season in the Braves’ rotation, right-hander Anibal Sanchez tells Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he hopes to continue playing but hasn’t thought much about his future just yet. Sanchez, like many others, went through a lengthy free-agent odyssey last offseason and ultimately settled for a non-guaranteed deal with the Twins before being cut loose and signing a minor league deal with Atlanta. The 34-year-old adds that when he does eventually retire, he hopes to embark on a coaching career after taking a few years to spend time with his family. Sanchez has been arguably baseball’s best bargain, helping to a Braves’ staff with 130 2/3 innings of 2.96 ERA ball, 8.8 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 and a 44.7 percent ground-ball rate.

More from the division…

  • Dansby Swanson’s partially torn ligament in his left hand has opened the door for either Ryan Flaherty or Adam Duvall to make the Braves’ NLDS roster, Mark Bowman of MLB.com writes. Were Swanson healthy, then Charlie Culberson would be viewed as an important bench piece; however, if Swanson ruled unable to participate in the Division Series after being evaluated this weekend, Culberson would  step into the team’s starting shortstop role. Duvall has hit terribly since being acquired from the Reds prior to the non-waiver trade deadline, but he’d give the team an extra right-handed bat on a bench that would otherwise be stacked with lefties. Bowman notes that both Flaherty and Duvall could get a few starts in the final few games — both played today — as the team evaluates its options.
  • The Phillies’ season is ending in a veritable free fall, but GM Matt Klentak recently gave skipper Gabe Kapler a vote of confidence. Kapler, however, spoke to Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia about his need to improve as a manager and a leader in 2019 and beyond, bluntly stating that he has “a lot of room to grow and improve.” To that end, Kapler is taking the unorthodox step of sending out an anonymous survey to the team’s coaches and others in the organization to evaluate his performance. Kapler candidly suggests that Phillies leadership “fell short” in preparing young players for the rigors of competing in a pennant chase, highlighting that as one of many areas the organization needs to improve moving forward.
  • Injured Mets outfielder Juan Lagares participated in sprinting exercises Thursday for the first time since tearing a plantar plate in his left foot back in May, writes Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. He’s aiming to play in the Dominican Winter League to help prep for the 2019 season. Lagares, considered one of the game’s premier defensive outfielders, has hit just .258/.299/.366 through a mere 961 plate appearances since signing a contract extension that guaranteed him $23MM back in April 2015. Of course, he’s totaled 29 Defensive Runs Saved in barely over 2,000 innings in that time, which speaks to his excellence with the glove. Lagares has been an oft-mentioned trade candidate in recent years, though with $9.5MM still guaranteed on that deal ($9MM 2019 salary plus a $500K buyout on a $9.5MM option for 2020), it’s tough to imagine much demand in him this offseason, barring some salary relief.
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