ATLANTA — The Braves declined to tender 2020 contract offers to three players, including utilityman Charlie Culberson on Monday. The team also non-tendered catcher John Ryan Murphy and outfielder Rafael Ortega.
The three become free agents and are immediately eligible to sign with any team.
The Braves' 40-man roster stands at 37 players. Monday was the deadline to non-tender arbitration eligible players.
Culberson, 30, would have made $1.8 million in arbitration. His season was cut short by a fractured cheek bone when he was hit in the face by a pitch in September.
He appeared in 108 games last season and hit .259 with five home runs and 20 RBIs in 144 plate appearances. He hit .267 in two seasons with the Braves. The seven-year veteran has also played for the Giants, Rockies and Dodgers.
Murphy, 28, appeared in one game with one at-bat with the Braves last season after he was acquired him from the Diamondbacks at the trade deadline.
Ortega, 28, played in 34 games with the Braves last season, hitting .205 with two home runs and 10 RBIs.
The Braves have seven remaining arbitration-eligible players for the upcoming season in Johan Camargo, Grant Dayton, Adam Duvall, Mike Foltynewicz, Shane Greene, Luke Jackson and Dansby Swanson.
Cox Media Group
