Blue Jays: Five players looking to bounce back in 2022

Julian Merryweather

With the cloud of the Josh Donaldson trade hanging over him since his arrival into the Blue Jays system, Julian Merryweather got his moment to shine when he cracked the Opening Day roster this past season.

While he did have a cup of coffee with the club during his MLB debut in 2020, Merryweather teased Jays fans with an incredible showing to begin the season, appearing in four games and striking out seven batters while allowing only one hit through 4.1 innings of work and picking up two saves.

It would be short-lived however, as the right-hander found himself on the IL with an oblique strain and missed a large portion of the season. After a rehab stint in the minors following the IL stint, Merryweather returned to the Blue Jays bullpen in mid-September but was not as dominant as Jays fans had seen earlier in the season. He gave up three earned runs against the Orioles his first game back and would finish the year with a 4.85 ERA through 13.0 innings pitched.

Looking at the current bullpen situation, if the Blue Jays roll with an eight-man relief corps and don’t make any meaningful free agent signings or acquisitions, there are two to three spots open for Merryweather to crack the Opening Day roster again.

I wouldn’t say his spot is guaranteed as there are some strong internal candidates like Kirby Snead and Tayler Saucedo looking for some big league action but a strong Spring Training and staying healthy will go a long way for Merryweather this year. We have seen how dominant he can be on the mound and to have him in the bullpen for a full year could do wonders for a club who had to struggle watching Dolis and Chatwood try to keep it together late in games.