Atlanta Braves pitcher Charlie Morton has reached the end of his MLB road, and he’ll get the chance to finish things where it all started. The Braves signed Morton to an MLB deal on Monday after he was designated for assignment by the Detroit Tigers the day prior. Morton struggled mightily in his last Tigers start on Friday, ironically, facing the Braves. He allowed six runs in just 1 1/3 innings before getting pulled.

Morton has had a tough 2025, and he’s expected to retire once the season ends. After signing with the Baltimore Orioles in January, he posted a 5.42 ERA with Baltimore in 23 appearances before getting traded to Detroit at the deadline. Things worsened for Morton in Detroit, as he ended up accruing a 7.09 ERA in nine starts for the Tigers.

None of this impacts Morton’s career legacy, however, and Atlanta’s decision to reunite with the 41-year-old is a reminder of how much he means to the Braves organization.

Charlie Morton will retire in much-deserved glory, donning an Atlanta Braves uniform

Per MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, Morton will make a brief stint in relief for the Braves in one of Atlanta’s remaining games.

It will be a fitting end for Morton, who was selected by the Braves with the No. 95 pick in the 2002 Major League Baseball draft. Morton made his MLB debut with Atlanta on June 14, 2008 (a win), and he ended his rookie season with a 4-8 record, though he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates the following season.

Morton spent the next seven seasons with the Pirates (his longest tenure with any club), but the best years for the ageless right-hander were still to come. In 2018, Morton made his first All-Star team at age 34 as a member of the Houston Astros, months removed from winning his first World Series. Morton made the All-Star team again the following season, this time with the Tampa Bay Rays, and he also finished third in American League Cy Young voting, and No. 21 in AL MVP voting that year — the best individual season of his career.

Thus, Morton had already made a name for himself when he returned to the Braves in 2020 on a one-year, $15 million deal. But there were still more accomplishments to come. Morton sparkled in the first season of his Braves return, going 14-6 with a 3.34 ERA and 216 strikeouts in a campaign that ended with Atlanta winning the World Series (and Morton earning a one-year extension along the way).

Charlie Morton’s iconic World Series moment for Braves will never be forgotten

Morton fractured his right fibula while pitching in Game 1 of the World Series when Houston Astros’ Yuli Gurriel hit a line drive directly into Morton’s leg. Ever the iron man, Morton made another 16 pitches — and struck out Jose Altuve — before leaving the game. Morton would not return for the rest of the series, but the legendary moment — and his spectacular 2021 season — had already etched his name in Braves lore.

Over the next few seasons, Atlanta kept bringing Morton back — he signed another extension in 2022, and the Braves later picked up a $20 million option on his deal for 2024.

Though he never repeated the statistical excellence of his 2021 season with Atlanta, Morton’s time with the Braves was not without statistical feats. His 216 and 205 strikeouts in 2021 and 2022, respectively, made him the third Braves pitcher ever to strike out 200 batters or more in multiple seasons. In June of 2024, with a victory over the Pirates, Morton became only the 22nd pitcher in the history of the game to get a win over all 30 teams in his career. Two months later, Morton struck out his 2,000th batter, becoming the 89th pitcher in MLB history to do so.

Morton is about to walk away from the game with an outstanding resumé that many pitchers would kill for. His final game will be on Sunday, fittingly against the Pirates.

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