Braves DFA Charlie Culberson before first pitch by his dad
The best-laid plans often go awry, and that was the case for the Atlanta Braves on Sunday.
The Braves had planned to have infielder Charlie Culberson’s dad, Charles, throw out the first pitch in honor of Father’s Day.
But the gameday staff had to scramble when the ball club designated Culberson for assignment on Sunday morning to create space for catcher Chadwick Tromp.
It certainly created a bit of an awkward situation, but as they say, the show must go on.
Instead of the Culberson father-son duo, the Braves had outfielder Michael Harris II’s father do the honor before Atlanta hosted the Colorado Rockies.
Perhaps having his dad on the field inspired Harris, since the outfielder went 5-for-5 in the Braves’ 14-6 win over the Rockies.
Atlanta had a five-game lead over the Marlins for control of the National League East, and they have a 12.5-game lead over the Mets.
Getting to catch a first pitch from his father would have been a special moment for Culberson, who has praised his father on social media in the past.
Charlie Culberson was designated for assignment hours before his father was scheduled to perform the first pitch in the Braves’ game against the Rockies on Father’s Day. AP
On Father’s Day in 2019, Culberson captioned a photo of his old man, “thankful for you EVERYDAY! I Love You! #Superman.”
Other than the timing of the decision, Culberson’s DFA wouldn’t have come as much of a surprise for Braves’ fans that have followed the team.
The Braves lost starting catcher Sean Murphy to a hamstring injury on Saturday and needed to create space for Tromp to be the team’s third catcher.
Culberson had been in his second stint with the Braves since he played for them from 2018-2020.
Michael Harris celebrates his three-run homer for he Braves on Sunday. AP
Altogether, he has worn the jersey of five different teams in his major league career and has hit .247 with 30 homers and 145 RBIs.
He rejoined the organization earlier this year and played in 24 games for Triple-A Gwinnett before getting the call to the Majors.
Source: New York Post
