Charlie Morton Returns to the Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves have finalized the signing of veteran pitcher Charlie Morton to a Major League contract. The news comes a day after the right-hander was designated for assignment and subsequently released by the Detroit Tigers. Manager Brian Snitker has not confirmed whether 41-year-old Morton will participate in the final week of the season’s games with the Braves, who will receive him on Tuesday.This will be Morton’s third stint with the Braves. He was drafted by Atlanta in the third round of the 2002 draft. His MLB debut was with the Braves in 2008. Subsequently, he 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, being traded to the Tigers before the July trade deadline. His last performance 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 career, he has a regular season record of 147-134 in 415 games (406 starts) and 2,266 innings. 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-hander Carson Ragsdale for assignment.We don’t have a defined plan. We’ve recovered him. I don’t know what that plan will be. I spoke with him on Saturday afternoon before batting practice [in Detroit]. It wasn’t even on the radar.
Brian Snitker
