The New York Yankees have added veteran pitcher Michael Fulmer to their roster, signing him to a major league deal on Wednesday to address growing concerns in their bullpen. This move comes shortly after the team placed key reliever Fernando Cruz on the injured list with right elbow discomfort.
Cruz's placement on the IL occurred after a recent string of outings where he allowed multiple earned runs, including a two-run home run in Tuesday's game that contributed to a loss. The severity of Cruz's elbow injury is not yet publicly known. Over his last 16 appearances dating back to mid-July, Cruz has posted a 5.93 ERA.
Fulmer, 33, brings a decorated past, having been named the American League Rookie of the Year in 2016 and an All-Star in 2017 with the Detroit Tigers. This season, he has been released by both the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Angels. In 43 innings pitched at the Triple-A level this year, Fulmer recorded a 2.93 ERA.
The Yankees' decision to acquire Fulmer comes at a time when the team had aimed to avoid further depletion of its bullpen, especially after making no additions to the unit at the trade deadline.
Beyond Cruz, other bullpen arms like David Bednar, Paul Blackburn, and Brent Headrick are facing workload concerns. Potential reinforcements such as Ryan Weathers are currently on the injured list with a flexor strain, and Clarke Schmidt, who recently threw live batting practice, is returning from Tommy John surgery and has primarily been a starter.
Luis Gil has shown promise out of the bullpen at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but his major league reliability remains unproven, and he also has a background as a starting pitcher.
In addition to the Cruz injury and Fulmer signing, the Yankees also optioned Bradley Hanner, recalled Elmer Rodriguez, and moved Kervin Castro to the 60-day injured list as part of their roster adjustments on Wednesday.