The Angels signed right-handers Michael Fulmer and Hagen Danner to minor league contracts, the team announced. Fulmer will report to Triple-A Salt Lake, while Danner has initially been assigned to the Arizona complex.
Fulmer has spent most of the season on a minor league contract with the Giants. He was released last week after spending the year with their Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento. The 33-year-old pitched well, turning in a sub-3.00 ERA while striking out 29% of opponents over 42 1/3 innings. Fulmer’s 11.7% walk percentage is higher than he’d like, but it’s moderate surprise that the strikeouts and run prevention didn’t earn him a look from the Giants at any point.
The former All-Star and Rookie of the Year pitched 5 2/3 MLB frames between the Cubs and Red Sox last year. That’s his only big league work since 2023. Fulmer missed the ’24 campaign after undergoing elbow surgery and has spent most of the last two seasons in Triple-A. He’s working with a 92-93 mph fastball and mixing six pitches, relying most heavily on a mid-80s curveball.
Danner, 27, has one career big league appearance. He recorded one out while a member of the Blue Jays in August 2023. Danner has spent the last three years in Triple-A and was with the Reds’ affiliate earlier this season. A former second-round pick as a catcher, Danner has pitched since 2021. He has a mid-90s fastball and struck out a quarter of opponents across 32 2/3 Triple-A frames this year. Danner also walked an untenable 16.5% of batters faced and Cincinnati released him in the middle of July.
It has been a month since Danner’s most recent game action. The Angels assigned him to the complex to build up as a result, but he’ll likely be assigned to Salt Lake before the end of the month. The Halos have a wide open bullpen, so there’s a decent chance that at least Fulmer will get a look by season’s end.
