Carson Fulmer will not make his scheduled start on Tuesday for the White Sox. Instead, he will make his final appearance of the season on Saturday against the Cleveland Indians. Chris Volstad will get the nod on Tuesday in Fulmer’s place.
Carson Fulmer has been moved back to Saturday. Chris Volstad goes Tuesday instead. #WhiteSox
— danhayesmlb (@DanHayesMLB) September 25, 2017
Fulmer was pulled after 1/3 of an inning and two walks in his last outing against the Houston Astros. The training staff met Fulmer at the mound and decided to yank the right-hander to avoid further damage to a blister on his right index finger.
“It was something I noticed a little bit after my last start,” Fulmer told Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune. “I thought it would go away and dry up, and it came back tonight. I did everything I could to stay out there until Ricky (Renteria) pulled me. It’s something I have to look out for a little bit and make sure I maintain.”
Fulmer threw a 25-pitch bullpen on Sunday and was resolute about starting on Tuesday, when he told reporters, “I was able to go through all my pitches… Didn’t have any issues. Feels really good,” on Monday.
“Obviously, the decision is up to them,” Fulmer continued. “I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know if they want to take precautions.”
And that’s just what Rick Renteria plans to do. “Give it a couple of more days to heal up,” Renteria said to Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago. “It fits. He’ll be able to hopefully get out there and feel comfortable. He threw a side yesterday and it was fine. It’s just making sure he’s able to get through his start.”
The White Sox have maintained that Fulmer is a starter but he has struggled in the past. Yet, before his early exit on Sept. 21, the former first-round pick posted two quality starts and held opponents to two earned runs over 12 innings.
Closing the season with another quality start is paramount for Fulmer and will supply a confidence boost to take him through the offseason. With a wide-open roster again next season, White Sox brass would love if Fulmer could step into the rotation and have success.
