The Cubs have agreed to a minor league deal with right-hander Michael Fulmer, per Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register. The BBI Sports Group client is headed to Triple-A Iowa for the time being. Fulmer was designated for assignment by the Red Sox last week and recently rejected an outright assignment in favor of free agency.
Fulmer, 32, spent the 2023 season in the Cubs’ bullpen and logged 57 innings with a 4.42 ERA, a 27.4% strikeout rate and an 11.8% walk rate. That marks Fulmer’s last full, healthy season. The Cubs announced that October that Fulmer had undergone a UCL procedure in his right elbow, which wiped out his entire 2024 campaign.
Fulmer signed with the Red Sox on a two-year minor league contract and spent last season rehabbing with the organization. Interestingly, he was stretched out to work multiple innings in spring training this year and began the 2025 campaign as a starter with Boston’s Triple-A affiliate in Worcester. Fulmer pitched well in 11 2/3 minor league frames, logging a 3.09 ERA with an 18-to-6 K/BB ratio (37.5 K%, 12.5 BB%). He made one big league appearance with the Sox, yielding three runs in 2 2/3 innings, before being designated for assignment.
Rotation work is hardly a new role for Fulmer, who not only broke into the majors as a starter but captured 2016 American League Rookie of the Year honors while pitching in that role with the Tigers. Fulmer was a key member of Detroit’s rotation from 2016-18 before injuries set in and threw his career into a tumultuous state. He underwent an ulnar nerve transposition procedure late in the 2017 season, had surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his knee in 2018 and missed all of the 2019 campaign following Tommy John surgery. Fulmer returned to make 10 starts in the shortened 2020 season, but he was shelled for an ERA just shy of 9.00.
In 2021, Detroit began transitioning Fulmer to a relief role, and he hit the ground running. He pitched exclusively in relief from May 5 onward that year and recorded a pristine 2.25 ERA with a 26% strikeout rate and 6.4% walk rate. By season’s end, he was closing games for A.J. Hinch.
That kicked off a nice three-year run of bullpen work between the Tigers, Twins (who acquired him at the trade deadline in 2022) and Cubs (who signed him as a free agent in the 2022-23 offseason). In that time, Fulmer pitched 190 1/3 innings with a 3.55 ERA, 19 saves, 45 holds, a 24.6% strikeout rate and a 9.4% walk rate. He wasn’t quite an elite reliever, but he was effective and seemed to have fully acclimated to high-leverage settings.
Now back with the Cubs, Fulmer can be deployed in a variety of ways. If Chicago is intrigued by the idea of continuing to stretch him out as a starter, he’d make plenty of sense as rotation depth. Ace Justin Steele’s season is over due to elbow surgery, and young righty Javier Assad has yet to pitch in 2025 due to an oblique injury. He’d been on track for an early May return but exited a rehab start yesterday due to what appeared to be renewed discomfort. Right now, the Cubs are going with Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd, Ben Brown and Colin Rea in the rotation. Top prospect Cade Horton looms in Triple-A, though he’s walked 20.8% of his opponents through his first three starts and could probably use some more development time.
Alternatively, the Cubs could drop Fulmer right back into the bullpen role he’s held in recent years. Chicago relievers have the fourth-worst ERA in the majors (5.34), the third-worst strikeout rate (18.4%) and the eighth-highest walk rate (11.5%). Right-handers Ryan Brasier, Tyson Miller and Eli Morgan are all on the 15-day injured list, which has thinned out the depth in Craig Counsell’s bullpen.
Just another body to add to the minor in Fulmer—but, Steve–as one of the better—not a chance in the world that Assad is going to return early next month. Walking off the mound, holding one’s side, after warming up is not a sign of anything other than a much more lengthy time away from pitching at a high level.
There’s no official word yet on additional length of absence, but they were already projecting negative reports on the game last night.
If you play in a league that counts holds, Fulmer has a shot of leading CHC in holds this summer.
Just a warm body for depth.
Sensible move for depth, and Fulmer may feel that the Cubs’ pitching coaches can get him back to where he was on his last stint there.
Fullmer only 32! What’s wrong with Jed; he only goes after those in mid 30s on up and rehabbing from injury and out of pitching for a year or more.
he only goes after those in mid 30s on up and rehabbing from injury
========================
That’s because younger guys, with great stuff, usually aren’t on the waiver wire.
Joe – agreed. Young players, that have real talent, are not often on the waiver wire. Teams have 7 years of controllability, 3 option years if under 5 years of service time….. and teams are signing players to long term contracts with less and less MLB experience.
Reasonable move, considering everything. They need lots of pitching, and he might help; he is not as long a shot as some of Hoyer’s efforts.
The band getting back together again! Cue the horn section!
I never listened to Chicago growing up. Then my spouse said something about their horn section. So I listened more closely, and never stopped listening.
Probably the only way the Cards stay within 25 games of the Cubs this year…there’s always hope for you, King.
There might be hope for the Cardinals, but there ain’t any hope for that guy…
Gotta love the Red Sox just rehabbing guys and then letting them go for nothing.
Very surprised he’s not with White Sox. They absolutely love the Red Sox scraps.
Hoyer just recycling nostalgia. Fulmer needs to get back to using his 4-seamer.