The Atlanta Braves designated Charlie Culberson for assignment with awkward timing Sunday, as the infielder’s dad had been scheduled to throw out the first pitch on Father’s Day at Truist Park.
Those plans had to change after Atlanta DFA’d Culberson to make room for catcher Chadwick Tromp.
Instead, the father of Braves outfielder Michael Harris II handled the first pitch before the game against the Colorado Rockies.
Culberson, 34, a Georgia native, had not made any appearances for Atlanta since being called up May 19.
He is a career .247 hitter with 30 homers and 145 RBIs in 585 games with five teams, including a previous stint with the Braves from 2018 to 2020.
Tromp, 28, is batting .125 with one RBI in six games this season with Atlanta. He was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett with catcher Sean Murphy dealing with a reported hamstring injury.