As it turned out, Charlie Culberson merely took a couple of weeks off.
The Braves on Friday selected Culberson’s contract. He once again will serve as the backup infielder.
The Braves optioned catcher Chadwick Tromp, the expected move now that Sean Murphy is fully healthy. To make room for Culberson on the 40-man roster, the Braves transferred left-hander Dylan Lee to the 60-day injured list.
Here’s a rundown of Culberson’s past two weeks:
The Braves designated him for assignment June 18.
On Sunday of this week, after clearing waivers, he elected free agency instead of accepting his outright assignment to Triple-A Gwinnett.
On Tuesday, the Braves signed Culberson to another minor-league deal.
On Friday, they brought him up again to serve as the 26th man. In a month in that role before being designated for assignment, Culberson didn’t get into a game.
After Murphy tweaked his hamstring, the Braves decided against putting him on the injured list. They instead called up Tromp to serve as a backup catcher to Travis d’Arnaud. The Braves went almost two weeks without a backup infielder, but they never needed one.
Had Culberson accepted his outright assignment Sunday, he would’ve needed to spend at least 10 days at Triple-A before the Braves could recall him. By electing free agency and re-signing with the Braves, he made himself available to be called up immediately because he didn’t need to spend at least 10 days at Triple-A.
On May 19, the Braves placed Lee on the 15-day injured list with left shoulder inflammation. Moving him to the 60-day injured list simply frees a roster spot when the club knew he would be out at least two months.
Lee won’t be able to return until after the All-Star break.
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