Merryweather (knee) agreed to a one-year, $1.225 million contract with the Cubs on Friday to avoid arbitration, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.
Merryweather missed the majority of last season due to rib and knee injuries. He wasn't very effective when healthy, logging a 6.60 ERA and 1.80 WHIP in 15 innings. He'll officially stick around for another year in Chicago, though there is still no word on if he'll be ready for spring training after undergoing surgery on his right knee in late September.
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Cubs' Julian Merryweather: Shifted to 60-day injured list
Rotowire
The Cubs transferred Merryweather (knee) to the 60-day injured list Sunday.
The transaction clears a spot on the 40-man roster. Merryweather underwent right knee surgery earlier this month to address tendinitis.
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Cubs' Julian Merryweather: Surgery scheduled
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Merryweather will undergo surgery on his right knee Friday, Mike McGraw of the Chicago Daily Herald reports.
Merryweather has been on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Iowa since last Friday, during which he's thrown two scoreless innings while striking out three batters and walking one. However, his attempt at a return this season will be put to an abrupt end, as he's elected to undergo surgery to address the tendinitis in his knee. A recovery timeline will likely emerge after the 32-year-old goes under the knife.
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Cubs' Julian Merryweather: Rehabbing at Triple-A
Rotowire
Merryweather (knee) made his second rehab appearance at Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, striking out one and giving up no hits and one walk over a scoreless inning.
Merryweather was placed on the 15-day injured list Aug. 27 with right knee tendinitis but was cleared to begin a rehab assignment last weekend. Assuming he checked out fine coming out of his second outing Tuesday, Merryweather could rejoin the Chicago bullpen for the team's four-game series with the Nationals that begins Thursday.
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Cubs' Julian Merryweather: Out with knee injury
Rotowire
The Cubs placed Merryweather on the 15-day injured list Tuesday due to right knee tendinitis, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
It's unclear when the injury first surfaced, but Merryweather surrendered four runs over one inning during his last appearance Sunday in Miami. The right-hander is without a clear timeline for his return but will be eligible to rejoin the active roster during the second week of September.
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Cubs' Julian Merryweather: Takes first 2024 loss
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Merryweather (1-1) allowed one run on three hits and a walk over an inning of relief to take the loss Monday against the Guardians. He struck out one.
Merryweather worked a quick seventh inning but he couldn't keep things going in the eighth, when he allowed three straight hits to start the frame, with the final one bringing in the go-ahead run before he got the hook. The righty missed most of this season with a rib stress fracture, as this was just his 10th appearance of the year. Merryweather was much more heavily used in 2023, when he posted a 3.38 ERA and 98 strikeouts across 72 innings out of the bullpen. If the 32-year-old is healthy heading into next season, he should be able to secure a middle-relief role again for the Cubs or another team based on his ability to miss bats.
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Cubs' Julian Merryweather: Returns from 60-day IL
Rotowire
The Cubs activated Merryweather (ribs) from the 60-day injured list Monday.
Merryweather has missed most of this season with a rib stress fracture but is ready to go after allowing one run with a 5:0 K:BB over 4.2 innings during his rehab assignment. The hard-throwing right-hander should handle high-leverage spots for the Cubs, though he might be eased back into such situations.
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Cubs' Julian Merryweather: Expected back within week
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Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Friday that Merryweather (ribs) is on track to return by next weekend "at the latest," Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.
Merryweather has allowed one run with a 3:0 K:BB over three innings on his rehab assignment and will make a fourth appearance Friday, this one with Triple-A Iowa. He's been out since early April with a rib stress fracture but should quickly rejoin Chicago's high-leverage crew once activated.
Merryweather (ribs) is scheduled to pitch for Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Merryweather fanned two across a perfect inning in his first rehab appearance Tuesday. The 32-year-old should rejoin the big-league bullpen on the other side of the All-Star break.
Merryweather (ribs) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
It will be his first game action in three months, as Merryweather has been shelved with a rib stress fracture. Given his lengthy absence, the reliever will need a handful of rehab appearances before the Cubs are ready to activate him.
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Cubs' Julian Merryweather: Set to begin rehab assignment
Rotowire
Merryweather (ribs) threw a live batting practice Saturday, and manager Craig Counsell said the 32-year-old right-hander will be out on rehab assignment with High-A South Bend next week, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.
Merryweather landed on the injured list April 7 with a right shoulder strain, and he was later transferred to the 60-day IL after additional testing revealed a rib stress fracture in his right back. He's been slowly working his way through baseball activities, and he'll likely need multiple rehab outings as he looks to return to the big club after the All-Star break.
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Cubs' Julian Merryweather: Facing hitters Tuesday
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Merryweather (ribs) threw live batting practice Tuesday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Merryweather has thrown a pair of bullpens and faced live batters for the first time since being placed on the IL on April 7. Manager Craig Counsell already ruled Merryweather out through the All-Star break, but the 32-year-old could be ready to go coming out of the layoff.
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Cubs' Julian Merryweather: Throws bullpen session
Rotowire
Merryweather (ribs) threw a 26-pitch bullpen session Friday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Merryweather has been on the shelf since early April due to a rib stress fracture and has finally progressed to mound work. While he's moving in the right direction, the reliever would seem to still be several weeks away from a potential return.
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Cubs' Julian Merryweather: Out through All-Star break
Rotowire
Manager Craig Counsell said Saturday that Merryweather (ribs) will not return until after the All-Star break, Tony Andracki of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Merryweather has been on the IL since early April due to a rib stress fracture in his back. He's only a couple weeks into his throwing program, but the Cubs have already determined that it will take at least another month-and-a-half to get the 32-year-old reliever ready for game action. As Merryweather continues to check off boxes in his rehab process, a more exact return date should emerge.
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Cubs' Julian Merryweather: Nearing throwing program
Rotowire
Merryweather (ribs/back) could start a throwing program Monday, Mike McGraw of the Chicago Daily Herald reports.
The right-hander has been shut down since he suffered a rib stress fracture in his back in early April but is now ready to begin a throwing program. Merryweather will be eligible to return from the 60-day IL in early June but will likely require more time before being reinstated.
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Cubs' Julian Merryweather: Goes to 60-day IL
Rotowire
The Cubs transferred Merryweather (ribs/back) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
As a result of the move to the 60-day injured list, Merryweather won't be eligible to rejoin the Chicago bullpen until at least early June. The Cubs selected the contract of right-hander Colten Brewer from Triple-A Iowa to replace Merryweather on the 40-man roster. After being diagnosed last week with a stress fracture in his ribs and on the right side of his back, Merryweather isn't expected to resume throwing again for another three weeks.
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Cubs' Julian Merryweather: Avoids arbitration
Rotowire
Merryweather signed a $1.175 million contract with the Cubs on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.
In his first season with the Cubs, Merryweather turned in the best year of his career with a 3.38 ERA and 1.31 WHIP through 72 innings while picking up two saves and 17 holds. The 32-year-old earns a $438,000 raise in his first arbitration year, and he appears in position to continue serving in a setup role for Adbert Alzolay.
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Cubs' Julian Merryweather: Records first save of 2023
Rotowire
Merryweather worked around a walk to pitch a clean ninth inning and record the save in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Diamondbacks. He struck out two.
Regular closer Adbert Alzolay pitched each of the last two days, so the Cubs turned to Merryweather instead Sunday. The righty did the job, recording his first save since he earned two of them with the Blue Jays back in 2021. Merryweather has been a pleasant surprise this season with a 3.18 ERA and 90 strikeouts across 65 innings out of Chicago's bullpen after he posted a 6.75 ERA for Toronto last year.
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Cubs' Julian Merryweather: Earns fourth win
Rotowire
Merryweather (4-0) tossed a scoreless inning of relief to earn the win Saturday against the Blue Jays. He walked one and struck out two.
Through his first five appearances of the season, Merryweather had an unsightly 12.71 ERA. Since then, the righty has managed a 2.31 ERA across 46 appearances (46.2 innings). The strong, consistent play has made Merryweather a reliable relief option who typically pitches in front of closer Adbert Alzolay.
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Cubs' Julian Merryweather: May have inside track on MLB role
Rotowire
Merryweather stands a decent chance of securing an Opening Day bullpen role with the Cubs, particularly because he's out of minor-league options, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Merryweather was claimed off waivers back in January, and he's now competing for a role with the Cubs in spring training. The righty struggled last season with a 6.75 ERA and 1.43 WHIP across 26 games with the Blue Jays, so he'd likely slot in as a low-leverage option if he makes the team, putting him off the fantasy radar for the time being.
