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Angels Promote Veteran Reliever To Provide Bullpen Depth
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- Angels Promote Veteran Reliever To Provide Bullpen Depth
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
The Los Angeles Angels have selected the contract of right-handed reliever Brad Fulmer, and he joined the Angels over the weekend against the Kansas City Royals , according to a report from Charlie Wright of MLBTradeRumors.com .
The Angels sent reliever Sammy Peralta back to Triple-A Salt Lake and moved catcher Sebastian Rivero to the 60-day IL to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Fulmer in an accompanying move.
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Fulmer had success early in his career as a starter, but at this point he's basically a journeyman reliever. He missed all of 2024 after undergoing elbow surgery, and this year he's spent most of the year in the San Francisco Giants organization at Triple-A. He was released from Sacramento earlier this month, and the Angels signed him, with Fulmer making one appearance at Salt Lake before being promoted.
Fulmer was having a successful season at Triple-A Sacramento, as he pitcked up ten saves and posted a 2.98 ERA with a 29.1 percent strikeout rate across 37 appearances, per Polishuk.
It's his second straight season of good Triple-A production, as he's had an ERA of 3.39 over 66-1/3 innings for a number of organizations, including the Boston Red Sox , Seattle Mariner , the Royals and the Chicago Cubs . His walk rated has ended up over 10 percent, but Fulmer still has a strong strikeout rate of 31 percent.
Fulmer's bona fides include winning the AL Rookie of the Year award with the Detroit Tigers back in 2016, and he became an All-Star the year after that. Injuries struck after that, and Fulmer has been a full-time reliever since 2022.
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Peralta wasn't quite ready for prime time with the Halos during his brief stint, as he gave up two earned runs over three innings after being signed to a minor league deal at the end of June. The Angels are still shuffling bullpen pieces after a series of deadline deals that saw multiple relievers moved in an effort to shore up the thin farm system .
Rivero fractured his hamate bone back in early June and hasn't been seen in Anaheim since, so moving him to the 60-day IL was mostly a procedural move, according to Polishuk. The veteran reliever role filled by since-traded Brent Suter is up for grabs at the moment, so that's where Fulmer will probably slot in right now, and there's an opportunity to earn a spot for next year if he can pitch well enough.
