Red Sox 'eye' rehabbing reliever as potential starting pitching option in '25
The Red Sox have an under-the-radar pitcher in camp that could move from the bullpen to the starting rotation in 2025.
Boston signed right-handed reliever Michael Fulmer before the start of last season to a two-year minor league deal as he continued to undergo his recovery from Tommy John surgery. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told reporters in Dallas at the Winter Meetings the club eyed Fulmer as a future starter when making that initial deal.
“He’s a guy we actually signed with an eye on—once he’s completely healthy—building him out, whether that’s as a starting pitcher or someone who can handle bulk and leverage innings,” Breslow said to reporters. “It’s something we still feel confident in. He’s making quite a bit of progress throwing pain-free and having a fairly normal offseason at this point. We’re optimistic both about his recovery and the contributions he can make just given what we saw when he was pitching as a reliever prior to him getting hurt.”
Fulmer has a history as a starter, breaking into the big leagues and making 85 starts from 2016 to 2020. He has made 90 starts in total before going into the bullpen on a regular basis from 2021 to 2023.
The 30-year-old posted a 4.42 ERA in 58 appearances last season pitching for the Cubs. He has a connection with Breslow from their time together in Chicago.
“There’s certainly a pretty clear path to him being ready for Opening Day,” Breslow said. “But at the same time, that doesn’t mean that if he’s not, that means there was some significant setback we can point to. Recovery is kind of a long and winding road.”
Boston left Fulmer off the 40-man roster ahead of the Rule 5 draft, running the risk he could be taken by a rival club.
“We evaluate each of those decisions on a case-by-case basis, and we look at the combination of the ability to impact our team, probability of selection, and health,” Breslow said before the Rule 5 draft. “Our desired outcome is that Fulmer is pitching for the Boston Red Sox and helping him win games. We also understand we can only protect so many guys, and if there’s a team that wants to take a chance, at this point, there’s not a whole lot we can do.”
The righty offers a five-pitch mix: sweeper, four-seamer, cutter, sinker, and changeup. Fulmer used his sweeper (30.6%) and four-seamer (28.6%) the most in 2023. His sweeper was effective against opposing hitters, holding them to a .183 batting average and a .156 expected batting average. Fulmer ranked in the 92nd percentile in whiff percentage, 95th in hard-hit percentage, and 92nd in exit velocity.
Fulmer will make $1.5 million next season and can earn an additional $500,000 in bonuses next season.
If Boston utilizes Fulmer as an option for the rotation, he adds to the depth to Breslow is building heading into next season. The Red Sox rotation currently projects to have newly acquired ace Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, Brayan Bello, and Lucas Giolito. Other depth options include Cooper Criswell, Richard Fitts, Quinn Priester, and Hunter Dobbins.
