First baseman Matt Carpenter was released Monday by the Atlanta Braves, who acquired him last week from San Diego.

The decision costs the Braves in effect $4 million.

Atlanta obtained Carpenter along with left-hander Ray Kerr from the Padres on Friday for outfielder Drew Campbell. As part of the trade, the Padres agreed to pay the Braves $1.5 million. That covers part of Carpenter's $5.5 million salary for next season.