Merritt has an uphill climb to grab a rotation spot in spring training, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
As of now, it seems like the southpaw is behind Danny Salazar, Josh Tomlin and Mike Clevinger for one of the final two spots in the starting rotation. One positive for Merritt is that he's out of minor-league options, meaning the Indians would have to pass him through waivers if he isn't on the 25-man roster. Additionally, his numbers in the majors (1.74 ERA, 1.7 BB/9 last season) and minors (3.03 ERA, 1.9 BB/9 last season) both work in his favor. Despite this, he still seems to be behind the other candidates in the pecking order heading into the spring. Merritt likely will need to overachieve in Cactus League action if he wants a rotation spot.