The Pittsburgh Pirates have claimed right-handed pitcher Carson Fulmer from the Detroit Tigers. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Pirates have designated outfielder Guillermo Heredia for assignment.
Fulmer was the eighth overall draft pick in the 2015 draft and rocketed through the minors, making his big league debut just over a year after he signed with the Chicago White Sox. Despite the meteoric rise, he split the last four seasons between Triple-A and the majors. In 44 games for the White Sox, he made 15 starts and 29 relief appearances. Fulmer posted a 6.56 ERA and a 6.44 FIP in 94.2 innings, with an 83:64 SO/BB ratio and a 1.64 WHIP. With the Tigers this year, he had a 6.75 ERA in 6.2 innings over seven appearances, with three walks and seven strikeouts.
Fulmer ranked as high as 38th overall among prospects prior to the 2016 season, so he has never fully reached that draft/prospect potential in the majors. Coming into this season, the 26-year-old Fulmer had just over a year of service time. If the Pirates are able to tap into that potential, they will still have four seasons of control after 2020. He has a low-90s fastball that he mixes with a cutter, curve and changeup. Control is obviously a big issue.
Heredia was signed as a free agent over the off-season and he was with the Pirates on their Opening Day roster. In eight games, he had a .188/.278/.188 slash line. He was optioned to Altoona back on August 6th.
