Former Braves Infielder Announces Baseball Retirement

Ex-Atlanta Braves infielder Charlie Culberson announced his MLB retirement on September 19.

Atlanta Braves second baseman Charlie Culberson / John David Mercer-Imagn Images

11-year MLB veteran Charlie Culberson left the Atlanta Braves' spring training facility after getting cut by the team in late March. As it turned out, that marked the beginning of the end of his baseball career.

Culberson announced in a post on Instagram on Thursday that he is retiring from professional baseball.

"Excited for what's next," wrote Culberson as a caption to a series of pictures from his career. Culberson included a long goodbye in the photos.

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A post shared by Charlie Culberson (@charlieculberson)

He concluded by writing that, "it was an unbelieveable honor, but now it is time for the next chapter. I am excited for what The Lord has in store for myself and for our family."

Culberson also expressed in an interview with The AJC's Justin Toscano that he had no regrets over his career.

"I kept play, I kept trying, I gave it my best," said Culberson. "Physically, I was able to do it. That was probably the coolest thing, I guess, is that I didn't leave any regret on the table. I kind of exhaused all options of me continuing my baseball career."

A Rome, GA native, Culberson attended Calhoun High School, which is about an hour northwest of Truist Park. He began his professional baseball career as a first-round draft pick for the San Francisco Giants in 2007.

He debuted with the Giants in 2012, but Culberson received his first real MLB opportunity with the Colorado Rockies in 2013.

But Culberson played more games and seasons for the Braves than any other MLB team.

The Braves acquired him in a trade from the Los Angeles Dodgers in December 2017. Culberson played in Atlanta for three seasons from 2018-20 and then returned to the organization in 2023.

Over 231 games, Culberson posted a .267/..315/.456 slash line in 474 plate appearances with the Braves. He also hit 17 home runs and posted 66 RBI with 63 runs.

He hit .248 with a .680 OPS across his entire MLB career with the Braves, Giants, Rockies, Dodgers, and Texas Rangers.

Culberson may have already found part of what the next chapter will be in his life. He has a travel baseball program in Rome.