Carson Fulmer, a right-hander, is returning to the Angels organization. According to the MiLB.com transaction log, Fulmer, who had been with the Pirates on a minor league contract, was released by Pittsburgh earlier this week and promptly signed a minor league contract to rejoin the Halos. Additionally, the Icon Sports client pitched at Triple-A Salt Lake and Anaheim during the 2023–24 season.
Fulmer was a great prospect and previous first-round choice who never settled in with the White Sox, his first team, or the Tigers, Orioles, or Reds. However, he had a respectable two-year stint with the Halos, throwing 96 2/3 innings in 2023–2024 with a 4.00 ERA, 20.8% strikeout rate, and 10.5% walk rate. Last season, he threw a career-high 86 2/3 innings for Ron Washington’s team (29 relief appearances, 8 starts), which accounted for the majority of that work.
With a 4.64 ERA thus far in 2025, Fulmer has pitched 42 2/3 innings for the Pirates’ Triple-A team in Indianapolis. He was in the Indy rotation at the beginning of the season, but he had a terrible season, giving up 17 runs in 28 2/3 innings. He has hurled 14 innings since returning to the bullpen on May 7 with a 3.21 ERA and a 12-to-5 K/BB ratio. Six of Fulmer’s seven bullpen outings have seen him pitch two or more innings.
In an effort to assemble a respectable staff, the Angels have spent a large portion of the season acquiring pitching depth of various kinds. So far, it hasn’t worked. With a 4.33 ERA, the Angels’ starters rank 22nd in the majors, but they rank 28th in FIP, 29th in strikeout rate, 29th in walk rate, and 30th in SIERA. With a 28th-ranked 5.75 ERA and the third-highest walk-rate of any MLB team, their bullpen has been even less productive. Alongside Hector Neris, Hunter Strickland, Buck Farmer, Andrew Vasquez, and Sammy Peralta, Fulmer is the most recent in a long line of veteran arms to sign in-season minor league contracts.angels
