The Pittsburgh Pirates are giving a former top prospect yet another opportunity to make their big league roster.
Pittsburgh signed Carson Fulmer to a minor league deal, per Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The Pirates invited the pitcher to spring training, and he already has a locker in their LECOM Park clubhouse.
Alex Stumpf noted that this will mark Fulmer’s fourth separate stint with the Pirates organization. However, he has yet to appear in an MLB game for them.
Fulmer began his professional career with considerable buzz when the Chicago White Sox made him the No. 8 pick of the 2015 draft. The right-hander never found his footing, posting a 6.56 ERA in 44 games scattered over four seasons in Chicago.
Fulmer has since pitched for four different MLB clubs, spending the last three years with the Los Angeles Angels. He’s yet to harness the strike zone, issuing 137 walks and hitting 23 batters over 256 2/3 career innings.
The Pirates claimed Fulmer off waivers twice in 2020, but he only worked 10 1/3 innings for the Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Tigers during the pandemic-shortened season. Pittsburgh signed the former Vanderbilt standout after the 2024 season and released him last June after Fulmer registered a 4.64 ERA at Triple-A Indianapolis.
Fulmer finished the year with a 5.83 ERA for the Angels, so the 32-year-old would likely need an extremely impressive spring to make Pittsburgh’s Opening Day roster.
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