He and his wife, Kelsey, have two children...Graduated from Deer Creek High School in Edmond, Okla. Was teammates there with IF/OF Brian Anderson, who has played parts of eight seasons in the Majors with the Marlins (2017-2022), Brewers (2023) and Braves (2024)…Worked as a plumber’s assistant in the offseason early in his career, even after he made it to the Major Leagues for a short while. “I helped out a little bit still, nothing too dangerous,” Fulmer told MLB.com in 2018. “It’s always nice to just get out and not think about anything, especially not baseball, just try to get out there and do something and stay active.”...Was the Tigers nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award in 2018. Helped raise money as one of the 30 “Real Men” to participate in the American Cancer Society’s ‘Real Men Wear Pink’ Campaign in 2017 and 2018.
2025
Returned to the mound after missing the entire 2024 season...was recovering from right elbow UCL reconstruction with flexor repair surgery undergone following the 2023 season...Pitched for four different organizations and six teams, including two games with the Cubs and one with the Red Sox...posted a 4.76 ERA (3 ER, 5.2 IP) with three strikeouts in his three MLB games...Totaled 45 games (four starts) in Triple-A with Worcester, Iowa, Omaha and Tacoma, totaling a 1-3 record with a 3.39 ERA (25 ER, 66.1 IP), five saves, 86 strikeouts and a 1.24 WHIP...Began the season with Triple-A Worcester (Boston) before having his contract purchased on April 13... was designated for assignment and elected free agency on April 20...Signed a Minor League deal with the Cubs on April 22 and had his contract selected on June 23...pitched in two games before being designated for assignment on June 29 and electing free agency on June 30...Signed a minor league contract with Kansas City on July 3 and pitched in 15 games for Triple-A Omaha before being released on Aug. 16...Finished the season in Triple-A with Tacoma (Seattle) after signing a Minor League deal with the Mariners on August 19...posted a 0.75 ERA (1 ER, 12 IP) in 12 games.
2024
Underwent right elbow UCL revision surgery on 10/18/23 and missed the entire 2024 season.
2022
For the first time in his career, Michael pitched solely out of the bullpen in 2022...in 67 games with Detroit (41 G) and Minnesota (26 G) he posted a 3.39 ERA (24 ER/63.2 IP) with a 5-6 record and three saves, striking out 61 batters and allowing 28 walks and just four home runs... His 67 appearances were a career high....Finished tied for third in the A.L. and tied for sixth in the Majors in holds (25) and tied for 11th in games played....Held right-handed hitters to a .188 batting average....Did not allow an earned run in 52 of his 67appearances,including 33 outings with Detroit and 19 with Minnesota....Did not allow a run in 10-consecutive appearances to start the season from April 9-May 4 (10.1 IP)....Allowed just one home run in 44 appearances from April 9-Aug. 6....Did not allow an earned run in nine outings (9.2 IP) in June and pitched to a .062 WHIP....Acquired by Minnesota on Aug. 2 for minor league pitcher Sawyer Gipson-Long....Recorded his 500th career strikeout Aug. 28 vs. San Francisco, fanning Austin Slater in the eighth inning....Appeared in his 200th career game on Sept. 20 at Kansas City, allowing one run on three hits in 1.0 inning of relief.
2021
Emerged as a dominant reliever in the Tigers bullpen in 2021, making 52 appearances. ...Struck out 73 batters in 69.2 innings, establishing a career-high strikeout rate of 24.6%. ...After spending the 2020 season protecting and rebuilding his arm following Tommy John surgery, his stuff bounced back this season...after posting a career-low average velocity (92.9 MPH) on his fastball/sinker in 2020, he averaged 95.7 MPH this season, equaling his career-high set in both 2017 and 2018. ...Made his first regular-season relief appearance April 3 vs. Cleveland, pitching a scoreless seventh inning with one strikeout to earn his first career hold. ...Turned in his longest outing of the season April 9 at Cleveland, tossing 4.0 innings out of the bullpen and allowing a run on two hits with five strikeouts. ...Made his first start of the season April 14 at Houston, giving up two runs on three hits, a walk and two strikeouts in 5.0 innings to pick up his first win since June 14, 2018. ...Picked up his first big league save May 5 at Boston, tossing a scoreless two-thirds of an inning... according to the Elias Sports Bureau, Fulmer became the first Tigers pitcher since saves became an official statistic in 1969 to start one day, and earn a save the next...the last Major Leaguer to do so was New York (AL)’s Chad Green on Aug. 3-4, 2019. Made his 100th career appearance May 19 at Seattle, pitching a scoreless inning with a strikeout... Had a couple of career superlatives May 21 at Kansas City, posting his highest average pitch velocity in an outing at 96.5 MPH (previous high of 94.6 MPH on June 23, 2017 at San Diego) and throwing the hardest pitch of his career at 99.9 MPH (previous high of 99.2 MPH on June 8, 2018, vs. Cleveland)... Sidelined from June 3-14 with a right shoulder strain. ...On the injured list from June 27-July 27 with a right cervical spine strain. ...Recorded his first multi-inning save Aug. 12 at Baltimore, throwing 2.0 scoreless innings with two hits allowed...finished the season with five multi-inning saves, which were the most by a Tigers pitcher in a season since Juan Acevedo had seven in 2002... Threw 9.2 shutout innings with eight hits allowed, two walks and 13 strikeouts in nine outings from July 27-Aug. 17... Did not allow a run over his last 11 outings of the season, throwing 13.0 innings with 10 hits allowed and 12 strikeouts.
2020
Made 10 starts for the Tigers during his 2020 campaign, his first game action since undergoing Tommy John surgery during Spring Training the year before... In an effort to protect and build the health of his arm, he was limited to no more than 3.0 innings in any start during the 2020 season…posted an 0-2 record and 8.78 ERA (27.2IP/27ER), allowing 45 hits and 12 walks while striking out 20... Held opponents scoreless in three of his 10 outings on the season…struck out a total of 10 batters in those three appearances, while he punched out the same number in all seven other outings combined... Received a no-decision in his season debut on July 27 vs. Kansas City, allowing four runs on five hits with one walk and two strikeouts in 2.2 innings…outing marked his first appearance in a Major League regular season game since Sept. 15, 2018.
2019
Missed the entire 2019 season after undergoing surgery for a right elbow ulnar collateral ligament injury.
2018
Completed his third season with the Tigers in 2018, making 24 starts...Threw a season-high 8.0 innings in his season debut on April 1 in the first game of the doubleheader vs. Pittsburgh, allowing a run on four hits with three strikeouts…also tossed 8.0 innings on June 28 vs. Oakland...Finished the month of April with a 1-2 record, a 2.76 ERA (29.1IP/9ER) and 22 strikeouts in five starts...Allowed three earned runs-or-less in six-of-seven starts between June 8 and July 8, posting a 3.10 ERA (40.2IP/14ER) and 36 strikeouts over that span...Sidelined from July 20-August 24 with a left oblique strain...Sidelined from September 21-October 29 with a right lateral meniscus tear.
2017
Started 25 games for the Tigers in 2017 as he completed his second Major League season...Selected to the American League All-Star Team for the first time in his career...he was one of four pitchers selected to the roster by MLB...was not on the active roster for the American League since he started on the Sunday prior to the All-Star break...Allowed just 13 home runs in 164.2 innings, leading the American League with 0.71 home runs allowed per nine innings...had a homerless streak of 73.2 innings during the season...Finished the season tied for fifth in the American League with one complete game, sixth with a 1.15 WHIP and 2.19 walks per nine innings and ninth with a .243 (150x617) opponents batting average...Started the season with 10 consecutive quality starts from April 7-May 27...the streak was tied with Justin Verlander (March 31-May 19, 2011) for the longest by a Tigers pitcher to begin a season since 1913...Named the Tigers Pitcher of the Month for May after posting a 3-2 record with a 2.19 ERA (37.0IP/9ER) and 28 strikeouts in five starts...Selected the Tigers Pitcher of the Month for June after compiling a 2-3 record with a 4.28 ERA (33.2IP/16ER) and 24 strikeouts in five starts...Sidelined from August 3-14 with right elbow ulnar neuritis.
2016
Posted an 11-7 record with a 3.06 ERA (159.0IP/54ER), 136 hits allowed, 42 walks and 132 strikeouts in 26 starts during his rookie season in 2016... Earned American League Rookie of the Year honors by the BBWAA, becoming the fifth Tigers player to earn the honor and the first since Justin Verlander in 2006...named the American League Rookie of the Year by The Sporting News and American League Oustanding Rookie in the Players Choice Award balloting...Finished 10th in voting for the American League Cy Young Award...Tabbed the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association Tigers Rookie of the Year... Selected to Baseball America's Major League All-Rookie Team... Among AL pitchers with at least 150.0 innings pitched, Fulmer ranked third with a 3.06 ERA, while he was seventh with a .231 (136x590) opponents batting average and a 1.12 WHIP... Finished his rookie season with 132 strikeouts, which were the second most by a rookie pitcher in Tigers history, trailing only Les Cain, who struck out 156 batters as a rookie in 1970... Assigned to Triple A Toledo to begin the season - started three games with the Mud Hens and went 1-1 with a 4.11 ERA (15.1IP/7ER) and 20 strikeouts. Recalled from Triple A Toledo prior to the game on April 29 - made his major league debut that night at Minnesota and earned the win, allowing two runs on seven hits with one walk and four strikeouts in 5.0 innings…struck out Brian Dozier in the first inning for the first strikeout of his major league career... Recorded the first double-digit strikeout game of his major league career on May 21 vs. Tampa Bay, striking out 11…added a second game with 10-or-more strikeouts on July 1 at Tampa Bay, fanning 10... Threw 7.2 shutout innings on May 27 at Oakland, allowing three hits with one walk and three strikeouts - with his performance, Fulmer became just the third Tigers pitcher since 1913 to throw at least 7.2 shutout innings and allow three hits-or-less in one of his first six career starts, joining Pat Underwood on May 31, 1979 at Toronto and Earl Whitehill on September 29, 1923 vs. Cleveland...Won his third straight start on June 1 at Los Angeles (AL), throwing 7.2 shutout innings with two hits allowed, two walks and eight strikeouts - with his performance, Fulmer became just the second Tigers pitcher since 1913 to have backto-back starts of 7.0-or-more shutout innings with three-or-fewer hits allowed, joining Mickey Lolich, who had back-toback shutouts with three-or-fewer hits allowed on September 9 and 15, 1968…also became the second Tigers pitcher since 1913 to win five of his first seven career starts, joining Zach Miner, who won six of his first seven career starts in 2006... Carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning of the game on June 1 at Los Angeles (AL) before allowing a two-out single to C.J. Cron -- according to the Elias Sports Bureau, Fulmer became the first Tigers rookie to have a no-hit bid of that length since Bill Slayback, who went seven innings before allowing a hit in his major league debut on June 26, 1972 against the Yankees... Threw 6.0 shutout innings with two hits allowed, three walks and five strikeouts in the game on June 6 vs. Toronto - became the first Tigers pitcher since at least 1913 to have three straight starts with 6.0-or-more shutout innings and three-or-fewer hits allowed... Threw at least 6.0 shutout innings and allowed three-or-fewer hits in four straight starts from May 27-June 12 - according to the Elias Sports Bureau, since 1893, when the mound was moved to 60 feet, 6 inches away from the plate, Fulmer and Jake Arrieta (September 22, 2015-April 4, 2016) are the only two pitchers to record four consecutive starts of 6.0-or-more shutout innings and three-or-fewer hits allowed...Had a consecutive scoreless innings streak of 33.1 innings from May 21-June 17, which was snapped with a two-out solo homer in the sixth inning by Kansas City's Salvador Perez…the streak ranks as the longest by a Tigers pitcher in franchise history, and according to the Elias Sports Bureau, the streak was the second longest by a rookie pitcher since 1971, trailing only a streak of 35.0 scoreless innings by Fernando Valenzuela during the 1981 season...Named Tigers Pitcher of the Month for June after starting five games and posting a 3-1 record with a 0.61 ERA (29.2IP/2ER), 14 hits allowed, 13 walks and 24 strikeouts…led the majors with a 0.61 ERA during the month, while he was second with a .140 opponents batting average... Allowed one run-or-fewer in eight starts from May 21-July 1, becoming one of only six pitchers since 1913 to have eight straight starts with one-or-fewer runs allowed, joining Bob Gibson (11 straight starts, June 6-July 30, 1968), Josh Johnson (8 straight starts, May 13-June 20, 2010), Derek Lowe (8 straight starts, August 31, 2008-April 10, 2009), Johan Santana (8 straight starts, August 23-September 29, 2004) and J.R. Richard (8 straight starts, August 3-September 6, 1979)...Recorded his ninth win of the season on July 6 at Cleveland - according to the Elias Sports Bureau, Fulmer became the third rookie in franchise history to win at least nine games before the All-Star break, joining Mark Fidrych in 1976 (9-2) and Justin Verlander in 2006 (10-4)... Over a 10-start stretch from May 21-July 17, compiled a 7-1 record with a 0.83 ERA (65.1IP/6ER) and 55 strikeouts - according to the Elias Sports Bureau, since the major leagues began keeping track of earned runs just over 100 years ago, no other pitcher has compiled an ERA that low over a span of 10 successive starts in the season of his major league debut…over the last 50 seasons, the only other rookie to produce an ERA below 1.00 over a span of 10 consecutive starts was Cal Eldred, who had an ERA of 0.95 over a 10-start run for the Brewers in August and September, 1992...Threw the first complete game and shutout of his career on August 14 at Texas, allowing four hits and striking out nine…became the first Tigers rookie pitcher to throw a shutout since Justin Verlander on May 22, 2006 at Kansas City... Pitched 7.0 innings in the game on September 9 vs. Baltimore, allowing two runs on three hits with one walk and five strikeouts…in his first eight career starts at Comerica Park, Fulmer had a 2-2 record with a 2.90 ERA (49.2IP/16ER) and 38 strikeouts - according to the Elias Sports Bureau, over the last 25 years, only two other Tigers pitchers have had an ERA under 3.00 over their first eight MLB starts at their home park as Mike Maroth had a home ERA of 2.44 after eight starts in 2002 and Jeff Weaver had a 2.76 home ERA in 1999. Lefthanded hitters posted a .222 (67x302) average, while righthanders batted .240 (69x288) against him... Started 10 games at Comerica Park and had a 3-2 record with a 3.00 ERA (60.0IP/20ER) and 50 strikeouts…made 16 starts on the road and went 8-5 with a 3.09 ERA (99.0IP/34ER) and 82 strikeouts... Posted a 9-2 record with a 2.11 ERA (76.2IP/18ER) and 72 strikeouts in 13 games prior to the All-Star break, while he went 2-5 with a 3.94 ERA (82.1IP/36ER) and 60 strikeouts in 13 games following the All-Star break.
2015
Selected the Eastern League Pitcher of the Year in 2015 after leading the league with a 2.14 ERA (117.2IP/28ER) and a .769 winning percentage and ranking fourth with a 1.10 WHIP and a .228 opponent batting average. Started the season in the New York Mets organization before being acquired by the Tigers along with Luis Cessa in exchange for Yoenis Cespedes on July 31, 2015. Led all Eastern League starters with 8.87 strikeouts per nine innings, while he was third with 10.02 baserunners per nine innings and fourth with a .228 opponent batting average. Named a Minor League All-Star and a Double-A All-Star by Baseball America, while he was selected to the Eastern League postseason All-Star Team. Began the season with Class A St. Lucie and made one start, throwing 7.0 innings on April 26 at Jupiter and allowing three runs on four hits with nine strikeouts. Allowed three earned runs-or-less in 14 of his 15 starts with Double-A Binghamton from May 3-July 28. Picked up his first win of the season on May 9 at Akron, allowing one run on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts in 5.0 innings. Threw a season-long 7.0 innings on June 24 vs. Harrisburg -- also tossed 7.0 innings on June 29 at Akron and July 9 vs. New Britain. Finished the month of June with a 1-1 record, a 2.12 ERA (29.2IP/7ER) and 28 strikeouts in five starts. Had a stretch of five consecutive quality starts from June 18-July 9 -- during the stretch, he compiled a 3-1 record with a 0.54 ERA (33.1IP/2ER) and 36 strikeouts. Posted a 4-1 record with a 0.93 ERA (29.0IP/3ER) and 35 strikeouts in five starts during the month of July. Did not allow an earned run in seven of nine starts from June 24-August 9. Selected the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for the week ending August 9 after finishing the week with a 2-0 record, a 0.00 ERA (12.2IP/0ER) and 11 strikeouts in two starts. Started five games in August and had a 4-1 record with a 2.60 ERA (27.2IP/8ER) and 29 strikeouts. Held righthanded hitters to a .213 (52 for 244) average, while lefthanded hitters batted .247 (48 for 194) against him. Named the best prospect in the Tigers organization by Baseball America and MLB.com following the season.
