Red Sox Reportedly Sign Ex-All-Star Despite Long-Term Injury

The Red Sox haven’t been afraid to take on an injury risk in recent seasons.

It was evident in 2022 when they signed James Paxton to a unique contract despite knowing he wouldn’t play for at least a year as he recovered from Tommy John surgery. That move worked out, so Boston decided to take the risk again and sign another pitcher who likely won’t be available for a while.

Michael Fulmer signed a minor league contract with the Red Sox on Thursday, according to MLB reporter Michael Mayer. Chris Cotillo of MassLive confirmed the news.

It’s unclear what the terms of the deal are, but Fulmer is expected to miss the entire 2024 season as he recovers from UCL revision surgery. He missed all of 2019 after undergoing Tommy John, which has a similar projected recovery to that of his latest surgery.

The 30-year-old was 3-5 with a 4.42 ERA in 58 games last season after signing a one-year, $4 million contract with the Chicago Cubs. Fulmer was the 2016 American League Rookie of the Year with the Detroit Tigers, going 11-7 with a 3.06 ERA, but eventually devolved into a reliever following his first season-ending surgery.

Fulmer is 37-50 with a 3.94 ERA across 262 total big league appearances to date and eclipsed 50 appearances in each of the last three seasons. NESN.com mentioned him as a possible target earlier this offseason.