Yankees Sign Michael Fulmer To Major League Deal

The Yankees announced a series of roster moves involving right-handed pitchers today. They have signed Michael Fulmer to a major league deal and recalled Elmer Rodríguez from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. In corresponding active roster moves, they have optioned Bradley Hanner to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and placed Fernando Cruz on the 15-day injured list with right elbow discomfort. Kervin Castro has been transferred to the 60-day IL to open a 40-man spot for Fulmer.

The moves are all connected to recent injury developments in different ways. The Yankees put Max Fried on the IL a couple of weeks ago. That coincided with Carlos Rodón‘s return from the IL, giving the club a quick fix in the short term. But not long after that, Ryan Weathers followed Fried to the IL, opening up a rotation hole.

Rodríguez is going to fill that for now by starting today’s game. It’s unclear if he will stick around or if this is just a spot start. The Yankees play a doubleheader against the Red Sox on Saturday and don’t have an off-day until next Thursday, so that means today is their second game in a span of playing ten contests in nine days. Fried could come off the IL as soon as that twin bill but the Yanks might still want to have Rodríguez around for another outing in that stretch. He has a 4.76 earned run average in four spot starts this year but a 2.59 ERA in Triple-A.

A move in the bullpen has also become necessary. The Cruz situation is not exactly clear but his results have been trending down. He had a 2.51 ERA through the end of July but has a 6.75 ERA in August. He is a key setup arm for the Yanks, with two saves and 19 holds on the year. If he requires just a minimal stint on the IL, he would be back in plenty of time to make a few more appearances and get back in form before the postseason. Anything longer than that, however, and he could be at risk of missing the remainder of the regular season or the beginning of the playoffs.

To get a fresh arm into the bullpen, the Yankees have signed Fulmer. He just elected free agency after being designated for assignment by the Angels and clearing waivers. He had only been added to the Halos’ roster a few days prior. He made three scoreless appearances before getting bumped off the roster again.

Three appearances isn’t much to go on but Fulmer has a strong track record and has been good in the minors this year. From 2021 to 2023, he logged 190 1/3 innings in the majors with a 3.55 ERA, 24.6% strikeout rate, 9.4% walk rate and 40% ground ball rate. His 2024 was wiped out by UCL surgery. He was back on the mound last year but was mostly stuck in the minors, only making three major league appearances.

He had to settle for a minor league deal with the Giants coming into this year. He was pitching well but was released earlier this month, perhaps indicating he had an opt-out in that pact. As mentioned, he got a brief stint in the majors with the Halos. In Triple-A this year, he has thrown 43 innings with a 2.93 ERA, all of that work coming in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. His 11.5% walk rate is on the high side but he has punched out 28.6% of opponents.

As for Castro, he just landed on the 15-day IL August 10 due to right elbow neuritis. His status isn’t exactly clear but this transfer means he is ineligible for reinstatement until October. He’s a depth arm for the Yanks and wasn’t likely to be on the postseason roster, even if he were healthy. He is in his final option season and will be out of options next year. The IL goes away five days after the World Series. At that point, the club will need to decide whether or not to put him back on the 40-man roster.