At this point in the MLB regular season, teams across the league are consistently shuffling their 26-man and 40-man rosters, as they are trying to find players in the minor leagues who can fill a void for an injured or struggling pitcher or hitter.
The Tigers were active in calling up players from the minors, while also designating a couple of players for assignment to make room on the roster. Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve seen two former Detroit relief pitchers (John Brebbia and Matt Gage) sign minor league deals with National League clubs.
On Thursday, another ex-Tigers reliever, who elected free agency a couple of days ago, has been picked up by a team in the AL Central.
Ex-Tigers Reliever Michael Fulmer Gifted Another Opportunity After 2nd DFA
Former Tigers right-handed pitcher Michael Fulmer signed a minor league pact with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Royals announced that Fulmer will be assigned to Triple-A Omaha.
We have signed RHP Michael Fulmer to a minor league contract and he will report to Triple-A @OMAStormChasers today.
— Raising Royals (@KCRoyalsPD) July 3, 2025
The 32-year-old reliever hasn’t had an up-and-down 2025 season that has seen him get DFA’d twice by two different teams.
Fulmer began this season with the Boston Red Sox on a minor league contract that he signed in February. He started at Triple-A Worcester (three appearances) and was called up to Boston on April 13.
The ex-Tiger didn’t fare well in his lone appearance with the Red Sox, as he allowed four hits, three earned runs (one home run), two walks, while racking up two strikeouts in 2.2 innings against the Tampa Bay Rays.
From there, Fulmer was designated for assignment on April 18 and released three days later. After that, the former Tigers pitcher was signed to another minor league deal by the Chicago Cubs.
Fulmer began his Cubs stint at Triple-A Iowa and was called up to the majors on June 23. He pitched better with the Cubs, allowing two hits while posting one strikeout across two relief appearances (three innings).
However, it wasn’t good enough to stick around in the big leagues as he was DFA’d on June 26 and released on June 30.
Fulmer spent six years in Detroit as a starter and was then converted into a relief pitcher, where he found much better success. In 178 games (89 starts), the veteran hurler had a 32-43 record and a 3.90 ERA in the Motor City.