Ex-Red Sox Pitcher Reunites With NL Club Following Brief Boston Tenure

Michael Fulmer recorded just one appearance with the Boston Red Sox this season before the right-handed pitcher was designated for assignment, sent back down to Triple-A Worcester and elected for free agency.

The 32-year-old tossed 2 2/3 innings of relief earlier this month against the Tampa Bay Rays, and allowed three earned runs off four hits, two walks and a home run. Four days later, Fulmer got DFA’d and it triggered the start of the end for his time with the Red Sox and opened the door for a reunion in the National League.

Fulmer signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs, per MLB.com transactions, and was assigned to Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday. He spent the 2023 season in Chicago and logged 58 appearances, including one start, pitching to a 4.42 ERA. Fulmer and Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow met — Breslow was a member of the front office — during that first stint with the Cubs, and it played a factor in Boston’s decision to sign Fulmer to a two-year minor league contract in February 2024.

At the time, Fulmer had recently undergone surgery to repair a damaged ligament in his pitching elbow. He spent the entirety of the campaign rehabbing with team trainers, all of which prevented the 2016 American League Rookie of the Year and 2017 All-Star from taking the mound in Boston. Fulmer managed to make two starts across three appearances this season with Worcester, going 11 2/3 innings with a 3.09 ERA posted alongside 18 strikeouts to begin the clean slate.

Since the Red Sox front office did its part in bolstering the pitching staff, both in the rotation and bullpen, there wasn’t much room left for Fulmer. Boston just welcomed Brayan Bello back on Tuesday night and Lucas Giolito, too, is expected to be back soon, while the bullpen is stacked with options for manager Alex Cora to choose from.

Fulmer now rejoins a Cubs team that’s been struggling in the bullpen department, but leads the NL Central at 15-10. Chicago has been busy over the past few days working toward repairing the bullpen and also welcomed aboard fellow ex-Red Sox Drew Pomeranz in a trade with the Seattle Mariners to recruit some potential late-inning contributors.