Cubs right-hander Julian Merryweather shall be present process knee surgical procedure tomorrow, says supervisor Craig Counsell. As relayed by Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune on X, it is going to be a proper patellar tendon debridement. The skipper says Merryweather is predicted to be prepared by Spring Coaching. The pitcher himself says the rehab course of will take three months, per Bruce Levine of WSCR-AM on X.
Merryweather appeared to develop right into a key bullpen arm for the Cubs final yr, as he tossed 72 innings with a 3.38 earned run common. His 11.9% stroll charge was on the excessive aspect however he punched out 32.3% of batters confronted. He moved right into a leverage function for the membership, securing two saves and 17 holds.
He wasn’t in a position to carry that over into 2024. He missed over three months on account of a rib stress fracture and landed on the IL a second time final month on account of proper knee tendinitis, with the latter problem now requiring season-ending surgical procedure. Round these illnesses, he tossed 15 innings with a 6.60 ERA. There was in all probability some dangerous luck in there, as his .375 batting common on balls in play and 63.3% strand charge this yr have been each on the unlucky aspect, however his strikeout charge additionally plummeted to 18.9%.
The righty has all the time been a tantalizing arm due to his excessive 90s velocity, however well being has typically been an impediment. The Blue Jays acquired him from Cleveland because the return for Josh Donaldson in 2018, although Merryweather was recovering from present process Tommy John surgical procedure earlier that yr. He made his massive league debut in 2020 however has since gone on the injured listing for proper elbow tendinitis, a left indirect pressure and a left belly pressure. The 2023 season is the one one wherein he’s been in a position to throw at the very least 27 innings.
Merryweather reached arbitration for the primary time final winter. He and the Cubs agreed to a wage of $1.175MM for 2024. He’ll be due a elevate for subsequent yr however it gained’t be large, on account of his restricted workload this yr. He may be retained by way of arbitration for 2026, earlier than he’s slated to succeed in free company. He’ll flip 33 years previous subsequent month.
