The Boston Red Sox have a recent proclivity for sign-and-stash deals. Liam Hendriks and Patrick Sandoval are among the higher-profile examples, but one of their other stashed players hasn’t panned out.
The Red Sox on April 18 designated Michael Fulmer for assignment. Boston selected Fulmer’s contract on April 13 and added him to the roster in place of the recently injured Richard Fitts. He made just one appearance for the Sox after spending all of 2024 in their minor league system.
Fulmer entered the Red Sox’s April 14 blowout loss to the Rays in relief of Tanner Houck. He surrendered three runs on four hits and collected two walks and two strikeouts over 2.2 innings. It was Fulmer’s first MLB outing since 2023, before he underwent UCL surgery that ended his season.
“Michael Fulmer went out there and gave us what we needed,” manager Alex Cora said after the loss, crediting the righty for his outing. “. . . We have to manage the series and not just one game. If you try to manage one game, pedal to the metal, you’re not gonna survive. They did a good job on Monday and saved some arms for the next few days.”
Red Sox designate Michael Fulmer for assignment after one big league appearance
The #RedSox today announced the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/fqocq5Kz1H
— Red Sox (@RedSox) April 18, 2025
The Red Sox signed Fulmer to a two-year minor league deal in early Feb. 2024, just months after his Tommy John surgery. He recovered and rehabilitated for an entire season in Boston’s system just to be cut loose after one appearance.
The Sox expressed interest in potentially using Fulmer in the rotation as well as the bullpen. His MLB career began as a starter with the Tigers organization, and he posted a 4.09 ERA over 483.2 innings across four seasons before he transitioned to a reliever. He clocked a 3.55 ERA over 190.1 innings from 2021-23, primarily out of the bullpen.
It’s curious that the Red Sox held onto Fulmer for an entire season while he recovered from surgery just to give him one shot in the big leagues, especially since they’re not out of the woods when it comes to pitcher injuries with Brayan Bello, Lucas Giolito and Kutter Crawford on the injured list. Still, he ate some innings in a desperate situation for Boston and could be a solid addition to another team’s bullpen if injuries arise.
