The Los Angeles Dodgers reassigned Charlie Culberson to Minor League camp on Wednesday morning. This, after optioning Josh Fields and Adam Liberatore on Tuesday. Los Angeles now has 40 players remaining in big league camp, excluding Yimi Garcia.
Culberson technically was no longer in camp, as Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on Monday the utility man left and was expected to miss a few days to be with his expectant wife. Culberson batted .250/.345/.333 with two doubles, one triple and three RBI in 48 at-bats over 20 Cactus League games.
He entered camp among the players vying for the backup shortstop role. The competition for that bench role appears to be down to Kiké Hernandez and Chris Taylor.
Culberson first joined the Dodgers in November 2015, by signing a Minor League contract. He spent much of the 2016 season with Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he hit .260/.310/.385 with 17 doubles and 33 RBI in 70 games.
Over 34 games with the Dodgers, Culberson batted .299/.309/.388 with three doubles, one home run and one RBI. His shining moment came against the Colorado Rockies, when Culberson’s walk-off home run wrapped up the National League West in what was Vin Scully’s final game at Dodger Stadium.
Th 27-year-old was re-signed on another Minor League deal last December, and shortly after sent outright to Oklahoma City and removed from the 40-man roster.
