The Rays announced Friday that they’ve granted infielder/outfielder Charlie Culberson his release. He’s now a free agent. Culberson had an out clause in his contract this weekend and had likely been informed he would not make the club.
It’s been a tough spring for the veteran utilityman, as Culberson has gone just 4-for-24 without an extra-base hit. He’s walked three times but also fanned in nine of his 28 plate appearances. Overall, he’s hitting .167/.286/.167 in this spring’s tiny sample of work.
Culberson, 34 in a few weeks, had spent the past two seasons with the Rangers, hitting a combined .246/.292/.373 in 395 trips to the plate. He’s the quintessential “jack of all trades, master of none,” having appeared at every position on the diamond other than center field and catcher over the course of a decade-long career in the Majors. That includes 7 1/3 innings on the mound, during which time he’s rather shockingly allowed just one earned run (albeit with three walks and only one strikeout).
While a career .248/.293/.386 batting line isn’t much to look at, Culberson has more impressive platoon splits. Through 582 plate appearances versus southpaws, he’s a .285/.313/.431 hitter with 11 homers, 37 doubles, and five triples.
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