Charlie Morton Returns to the Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves have announced the signing of experienced pitcher Charlie Morton, marking his return to the team with a Major League contract. The announcement comes after his recent designation for assignment and subsequent release by the Tigers. Manager Brian Snitker has not revealed whether the 41-year-old Morton will participate in the remaining games of the season. Morton will join the team on Tuesday.This will be Morton’s third stint with the Braves. He was selected by Atlanta in the third round of the 2002 draft and made his major league debut with the team in 2008. Between 2009 and 2020, Morton played for the Pirates, Phillies, Astros, and Rays, before returning to Atlanta for the 2021-24 seasons. In January, Morton signed a one-year, $15 million contract with the Orioles, and then was traded to the Tigers before the July trade deadline. His last appearance with Detroit was on Friday, where he allowed six earned runs on five hits in 1 1/3 innings, with two strikeouts and two walks, in a 10-1 loss to Atlanta. Morton was a World Series champion with the Astros in 2017 and with the Braves in 2021. In the current season, Morton has a 9-11 record with an ERA of 5.89 in 32 games, including 26 starts. Throughout his regular season career, he has a 147-134 record in 415 games (406 starts) and 2,266 innings pitched. His 2,195 strikeouts place him sixth among active MLB pitchers. In related moves, Atlanta sent right-handed pitcher Jhancarlos Lara to Triple-A Gwinnett and designated right-handed pitcher Carson Ragsdale for assignment.We don’t have a defined plan. We’ve recovered it. I don’t know what the plan will be. I spoke with him on Saturday afternoon before batting practice [in Detroit]. It wasn’t even on the radar.
Brian Snitker
