Blue Jays notebook: Merryweather's spring debut provides hope

Follow| Archive

DUNEDIN, Fla. — Julian Merryweather is far from the key to the Toronto Blue Jays bullpen this season, but he’s the lottery ticket that could transform it in a flash.

Now 30 years old, Merryweather’s health woes have been well-documented.

Acquired by the Jays as the high-profile player to be named later in the 2018 Josh Donaldson trade while sidelined with Tommy John surgery, the right-hander has thrown just 37 total innings at any level since that deal.

Normally, a bullpen arm who can’t stay healthy wouldn’t get much attention on a World Series contender, but the brief glimpses of a 100 per cent Merryweather have been absolutely electric.

His spring debut Sunday at TD Ballpark against the Pittsburgh Pirates wasn’t quite that, but it was a small first step in the right direction.

Despite a so-so return from an oblique injury last September, it was the dominant early-season performance in the Bronx against the New York Yankees that everyone still remembers.

Merryweather included.

“I think I reflected on more of the, ‘Wow, look what I can do,’” Merryweather said of how he viewed his up-and-down 2021 season. “Then I realized wherever my body was last year, it wasn’t where it needed to be and I needed to get down to business and get this body in a good spot again.”

The lanky righty reworked both his body prep and his throwing program over the winter, pushing himself harder and at different paces to see how his body would respond.

So far, so good.

“I changed up my prep routine to kind of get a full body sweat going versus kind of the stretching or other ways of getting prepped for the day,” Merryweather said. “My throwing program was kind of retooled to kind of have more time off and push myself certain weeks