DETROIT -- A year after Michael Fulmer and the Tigers went to an arbitration hearing, he became the first of the Tigers’ arbitration-eligible players to settle on Monday. The two sides have agreed to terms on a one-year contract, avoiding a potential hearing this time around.

Fulmer will make $2.8 million, sources told MLB.com. That’s the same salary he made last year, when he became the first Tiger to go to an arbitration hearing since 2001.

Fulmer and the Tigers quickly found common ground this year after Fulmer missed all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right elbow. He’s expected to miss the start of this coming season, but the Tigers are hopeful he could be back by July, depending on his recovery and throwing program. Even so, team officials have made a point to emphasize that Fulmer won’t be rushed back to action for a Tigers club focused more on building for upcoming seasons.

Fulmer was eligible for arbitration this season for the second time in his career. Barring a long-term extension, he’ll be arbitration-eligible two more times before he becomes eligible for free agency following the 2022 season.

The Tigers have four more arbitration cases to try to settle, including fellow starting pitchers Matthew Boyd and Daniel Norris, along with reliever Buck Farmer and center fielder JaCoby Jones. Boyd and Norris avoided hearings a year ago as first-time eligible players; Farmer and Jones are eligible for the first time this year.

Players and teams have until Friday to try to reach an agreement before exchanging salary proposals. While the Tigers don’t have a firm “file-and-trial” philosophy that rules out any negotiations once figures are exchanged, their dealings with Fulmer last year reflected more of a willingness to go to a hearing.