White Sox rookie Fulmer relieved by positive outing

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Carson Fulmer throws during the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the Kansas City Royals Saturday, March 5, 2016, in Surprise, Ariz.

The White Sox have reached a familiar point of the season.

Out of playoff contention and heading for their fourth losing record in as many years, the Sox have little choice but to look ahead.

Another season of being "mired in mediocrity," as general manager Rick Hahn so accurately put it, strongly indicates a massive overhaul is coming this winter.

If Hahn gets the return he's looking for, Chris Sale, Jose Quintana, Jose Abreu, Adam Eaton and every other veteran Sox player could be traded.

Two rookies on the current 25-man roster figure to stay, no matter what direction the White Sox go.

Tim Anderson is presently mired in a 16-for-68 (. 235) slump, but the shortstop has shown enough with the bat and glove to stay on for the likely rebuild.

Carson Fulmer is the other keeper.

Drafted by the White Sox with the No. 8 overall pick in 2015, Fulmer is projected as a future starter.

Fulmer came up from Class AA Birmingham right after the all-star break and is pitching out of the bullpen for now, following the same path as Sale and Carlos Rodon.

Predictably, it has been a less-than-smooth transition.

Fulmer was an All-American starting pitcher at Vanderbilt in 2014-15, and he started 17 games with Birmingham this season before making the jump to the major leagues.

"I feel like more than anything, it's just that you have to be comfortable," Fulmer said. "Obviously, I'm not really comfortable with the role that I'm in (relieving) because I haven't done it very much. But the more reps I get, the more comfortable I'm going to get and I'm definitely feeling that now."

After James Shields gave up 4 home runs and exited with one out in the second inning during Sunday's 10-2 loss to Manny Machado (3 homers, 7 RBI) and the Orioles, manager Robin Ventura had to lean on the bullpen.

Fulmer stood up, pitching a career-high 2.1 innings and allowing no runs on 2 hits.

"Big one," Ventura said. "We've been looking for him to step up and be able to go back-to-back innings. I think that's a nice little sign right there."

Before Sunday, Fulmer was shelled for 9 runs on 6 hits and 6 walks over his last 3 ⅔ innings of relief.

If Fulmer can build off his positive showing against Baltimore and finish up strong out of the bullpen, that would help him make a switch back to the rotation in 2017.

"That's a possibility," Ventura said of Fulmer starting for the White Sox next season. "That's a guy you want to master the one inning first before you can sit there and think he can give you seven or eight. For him, I think it's a time to learn, to gain some experience while you're up here and the guys that you're facing and what you need to do to survive up here.

"He can get valuable experience an inning at a time."

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