Right-hander Michael Fulmer underwent UCL revision surgery on his right elbow on Wednesday, the Cubs revealed to reporters (including Patrick Mooney of The Athletic). He is expected to miss the entire 2024 season.
It’s yet another frustrating hurdle for Fulmer, 30, who has a few of them in his career. He was the American League Rookie of the Year in 2016 after posting an earned run average of 3.06 in 26 starts for the Tigers that year. His performance dipped a bit over the next two years and then he required Tommy John surgery in 2019, wiping out that entire season.
He returned to the mound in 2020 but registered an ERA of 8.78 in 10 starts that year, prompting a move to the bullpen. That proved to be a great pivot for him, as he finished 2021 with an ERA of 2.97 and then had a solid mark of 3.39 in 2022, the latter season including a deadline trade to the Twins.
He qualified for free agency and was able to land a one-year, $4MM deal with the Cubs for the 2023 season. Unfortunately, it was a bumpy season for Fulmer, due to both inconsistency and injury. After an appearance on May 27, he was sitting on an ERA of 7.84 through 20 2/3 innings. But he got in a good groove from there, with an ERA of 1.83 over his next 34 1/3 innings. But he then allowed three earned runs against the Tigers on August 21, making one appearance after that before landing on the injured list due to a right forearm strain. He was activated off the IL on September 11 but made just one appearance before landing back on the IL, again due to a right forearm strain.
Fulmer is set to return to free agency after the World Series but his market will obviously be impact by today’s news of his surgery. The revision of the ulnar collateral ligament is a slightly different procedure to Tommy John surgery, but it involves the same ligament and the recovery is still significant enough that Fulmer is likely to miss all of the upcoming campaign.
Free agents in this position can sometimes find two-year deals, allowing them to make some money while rehabbing and giving the signing club control over a post-recovery season. Fulmer could perhaps seek out such a deal on the open market, but teams will naturally have some degree of wariness about the health of his elbow. Fulmer already underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019, as mentioned, and is now set for yet another significant procedure on the UCL in his throwing elbow.
The club also provided health updates on a few other players, with Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune among those to pass on the news. Righty Brad Boxberger, who finished the season on the injured list due to a right forearm strain, is expected to begin a throwing schedule in mid-November. He and the Cubs have a mutual option for 2024 but those are rarely picked up by both sides, meaning he is likely to wind up a free agent as well. In terms of Cubs likely to be back next year, each of right-hander Nick Burdi, lefty Brandon Hughes, righty Ethan Roberts and infielder Nick Madrigal are expected to have normal offseasons.
Michael Fulmer’s 2024 season is already a hit – in the operating room.
so funnyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
@CubsWin108
Well, I’m glad you found it humorous! Sports news can sometimes bring surprises, and a bit of humor can help lighten the mood during challenging times. Let’s hope for a successful recovery and comeback for Michael Fulmer in the future!
Fulmer is the only serviceable big leaguer that came out of the last Detroit teardown. I hope he makes a full recovery.
I wanted them to trade him while tearing the team down. Not that I envisioned his career going the way it has. His value was pretty high with a few years of control, 2 solid seasons, and a ROY. His service time was already ahead of the rebuild and the return he would ve drawn would ve likely been pretty hefty. Avila really botched the rebuild with how much talent there was to move.
Avila is an all time great talent scout. His draft skills are unparalleled. However, he is terrible at trades and free agent signings. I’m glad he got a shot at the GM seat, but its still hard to believe we gave up Verlander for Cameron Maybin and signed Jordan Zimmerman instead of extending Scherzer. And Baez…
Yeah the Zimmerman deal was probably the nail in the coffin for their window of contention. It was mind of odd from the get go, like you said that $ should ve went towards Scherzer. Zimm had been coming off a few pretty good years, but he was not a power arm and was paid as though he was.
The entire end of that contention window was just fumbled. A few poor contracts givem out and a ton of talent given away for little. Oddly the best return I’d say was for Justin Wilson of all players.
The return for Wilson could and probably should be the left side of their IF to this day with Candelario and Padraes.
Already a blow to the Cubs bullpen. I guess better now than during the season
He wasn’t coming back, he was signed to a 1 year deal, he’s a free agent.
this is actually addition by subtraction
So glad the Cubs rushed him back from his arm injury in the second half, and then pushed him into crucial situations instead of adding a quality arm or two at the deadline.
He had like a 6 week stretch where he was serviceable, otherwise he looked like garbage, but Ross kept using him like he was Wade Davis in his prime.
Good thing the Cubs only signed him for the one year.
Hoyer had to eat two multi-year contracts last year – Mancini & Barnhart. Well, three if you add Jason Heyward. But he was from when Theo was in charge.
Heyward’s contract was a known bust, but signing Mancini and Barnhart were dumbfounding at the time, even more so with how they ended up.
honestly i thought barnhart wouldve been an okay deal, heyward was abust and mancini probably took the only two year deal he was offered.
if barnhart would have performed okay and the cubs didnt end up contending, it might have given them the green light to trade yan gomes, who has great value on his contract for what he has done there. but hindsight is 20/20, and gomes and amaya are better than barnhart
@pohle: TBH The Cubs only signed Barnhart as an insurance policy should Amaya have not been able to stay healthy – or if Amaya looked far too rusty, from the extended time he lost over the last couple of years.
To his credit Amaya played at a level the Cubs were pleased with. And Barnhart couldn’t hit at all. I doubt the Cubs ever had intentions of trading Gomes.
Hey coop – you sure focus on the downsides of things when you post about Cub subjects. Maybe you could really find an abundance of negative things to post about, if you focused more on your White Sox topics.
Sad to see but you had to put the odds at better than 50-50 that was gonna happen. The old forearm strain strikes again. It still occurred while he was pitching for the Cubs so I’m sure they had to take care of the medical bills anyway.
He is still under contract with the Cubs until 5 days after the World Series ends.
Workers comp, like with any other employee, handles all aspects of this surgery. Present contract status is not relevant.
Each club has the same carrier although each team has their own individual policy. Each team is a separate business owned by separate entities.
Class dismissed.
How much of a payout does Byron Buxton get for recovery of lost wages when he misses half the season?
The team would get money back if they have injury insurance against his contract.
Buxton gets his full salary regardless of any injuries.
sergefunction may be able to confirm or provide further information.
Maybe he signs a two year deal with the Cubs, with low AAV in hopes of bouncing back in 2025.
Why do you assume the Cubs? There are also 29 other teams.
Because I’d like the Cubs to sign him again?
One of these days, doctors are going to figure out you can just slap a medical grade nail plate on there with super glue, brush some stem cells over it, sew it back up and give a PRP injection and they’ll be back on the mound in 30 days… GUARANTEED! haha
Thant sounds akin to researchers finding out that, by eating one package of Hostess Snoballs a day, you can extend your life by 8 years.
Well,I guess I am going to live a long time! Love those Hostess Snoballs!
Luke Little needs to be a part of the Cubs bullpen. No more dumpster diving for other teams trash.
You’re spot on Ray, about Little.
But comon, level with us – are you related or a friend of the family, or a former HS teammates? Your comments seem always related to Luke.
Keep up the good work. And hopefully Ross buys in. Although it would seem to be against Rossys way of doing things.
Yeah, come on Ray, spill the beans. We are eager to know the connection. The google search wasn’t overly flattering and I couldn’t find any connection to you and baseball or San Jac where he went to school. Do tell, please.
I’m all for the meteoric rise–but we all know he’s 22, started the season in A ball and throws the ball all over the place.
I think (hope) that he’s much closer long range to Carlos Marmol than Dillon Maples and if he can normalize that walk rate a good bit without jeopardizing the strikeout rate, the Cubs need to give you a job in the scouting department. Or is that it?
We await the truth…
Not related I just want to pound this into people’s heads that I think Little is going to be one of the best. I really believe perhaps like a Josh Hader type. It was really frustrating that Ross did not use him often. With the state of the bullpen Little should of been used more. When you see guys like Cuas blowing game after game it makes you wonder. They changed Little into a reliever in spring training and he blew through every level including the hitter friendly PCL.
Agree that Luke Little should have been used more. Ross went with the vets all the way who were running out of gas. A lot of players looked fatigued. Little at 6’-8’’ around 240 is an imposing pitcher. But I would proceed cautiously with comparisons to Hader. I recently shook my head when listening to a local radio sports talk show and the hosts were comparing PCA to Jim Edmonds. Pump the brakes on these prospects. Let’s see what they do in the majors over time.
My son and I always played a game (maybe for money, maybe not)….when Cuas came in. We looked at the advertising board behind (and to the left) of the left hander’s batter’s box. We each picked a letter in the company’s name on the board and would slow down the replay, after the inevitable wild pitch, to see exactly where that pitch hit. Whoever came closest to the exact spot of when the wild pitch clanged won the loot for the night. The game never lasted very long—sometimes it got to the second hitter—a lot of games—ended during the first at bat.
I just think this guy has got it. I think if Ross would of given Little a shot the Cubs would of been in the playoffs. I am just going on how he pitched in the hitter friendly PCL. Winning is about taking risks not putting people like Cuas etc game after game. Especially after all those extra innings loses where the Cubs took the lead only to give the lead back and eventually lose the game.
Another tough break for a pretty good pitcher when healthy. Fulmer was going into free agency this offseason and will look to ramp up for 2025. Still young enough at 30, he will turn 32 during 2025 spring training.
Too bad, we love the plumber. Nice dude, hard worker. Stinks that he just can’t stay healthy.
The plumber?
He works as a plumber in the off-season. No joke.
I’m starting to see examples of why total guaranteed value is cited more often than average annual value. This could always happen. Or, Martin Perez could revert back to the trashy guy he always was and end up wishing he had taken 3/39 MM instead of the QO last offseason.
@In Seager/Bauer We Trust
While total guaranteed value matters, it’s crucial not to discount the potential for players to improve and exceed expectations. Martin Perez, like many athletes, can demonstrate growth and secure better opportunities, making shorter-term deals like the Qualifying Offer a strategic choice.
I agree with Ray and others about Little. He has closer stuff and in fact has NOT shown significant control problems;Ross should have used him more in Sept. Especially in those games where the Cubs were one out away from winning and couldn’t get it. And I agree that Cuas was usually a bad choice, but I think a gassed Leiter Jr. was even worse. Ross is the kind of manager my late Mom would have diplomatically referred to as “limited.”
Stole the rookie of the year from Gary Sanchez
Quickest path to the majors is pitcher. Quickest way to the IL is pitcher.
Who pays for the surgery if he’s a free agent? I always assumed it’s the team you play for. But he’s a FA now n
Fulmer is a pending free agent. He can’t file for free agency until 5 days after the World Series. The last transaction I saw relating to Fulmer and the Cubs was on October 1st when they transferred him from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL due to his right forearm strain.