McAdam: Jenrry Mejia won't make the Opening Day roster, but he may not be far behind

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Red Sox signing of Jenrry Mejia attracted a lot of attention this past winter, with much of it negative.

After all, Mejia was suspended three different times for violating baseball's PED policy and until last fall, was facing a permanent ban from the game. He was then reinstated by commissioner Rob Manfred, and after completing a successful stint in winter ball, signed a minor league deal with the Sox.

It was noteworthy that the deal did not include an invite to major league camp, which is frequently granted to players with major league experience.

Nonetheless, Mejia has gotten his opportunities this spring. The appearances came slowly at first and were spaced out some, but more recently, Mejia has gotten into games more frequently. On Sunday, he made his sixth appearance in a major league spring training game and again looked sharp, getting a couple of flyouts sandwiched around a strikeout.



In six innings of work, he's allowed two runs on three hits with seven strikeouts and two walks.

"We're trying to get outs,'' said Alex Cora. "How many games did (Ryan) Brasier pitch last year? Six, seven? If you throw the ball well, we'll bring you (over from minor league camp). There's other guys (not in major league camp) who've thrown six or seven times, but because of who he is and what has happened, he gets the attention.

"He looked good today. He actually threw a changeup-split to one of the guys. We like the action on his pitches. They don't square him up. He has big league experience. Everybody knows what we're trying to accomplish. Am I saying that he's in the hunt for a roster spot? I'm not saying that. But he's a guy who has our attention because of the stuff. He's very aggressive in the strike zone and it seems like he gets that call up in the strike zone.''

Mejia's best pitch is his cut fastball, which he's routinely thrown at 92-93 mph.

"He's not afraid,'' said Cora. "He's attacking hitters, which is cool.''

For now, it would seem that close a half-dozen spots are spoken for in the bullpen: Brasier, Matt Barnes, Heath Hembree, Brian Johnson and Hector Velazquez would seem locks and two others -- Brandon Workman and Tyler Thornburg -- are out of options, meaning the Red Sox would have to expose them to waivers in order to have them start the year in the minors.

Thanks to his multiple suspensions, Mejia hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2015 and, while he benefitted from his winter ball exposure, it would seem the Sox would want him to start the year in the minors, where he can establish a routine again and continue to build arm strength. Also, the Sox would need to get him on the 40-man roster.

Catcher Juan Centeno, who's in major league camp and will likely open the year in Pawtucket, caught Mejia with the Mets in 2013 and 2014, has told Cora that Mejia's stuff this spring is roughly comparable to what he saw five and six years ago.

"I don't know if the velocity was higher with the Mets,'' said Cora, "but he's still getting people out. And he's missing barrels, which is the most important thing. He's in good shape. You can see it. It's more about the (quality of the) cutter and the slider. You see the takes and you see the swings. Like I said before, it's missing barrels.''

Tellingly, the Sox made an effort to get Mejia into the game earlier (he entered in the seventh) to face better quality and more experienced hitters. That would suggest that they like what they've seen and want to see more.

A year ago, Brasier, who had come to camp on a similar minor league deal -- albeit without the PED baggage and made a big impression on Cora and the staff. Brasier hadn't pitched in the big leagues since 2013, but his velocity and the quality of stuff registered. By July, he was in the big leagues with Boston and soon after, earned a high-leverage role in the late innings that continued through the World Series.

A similar path could be taken by Mejia. He won't be with the Sox in Seattle in next week, but given the unsettled nature of the bullpen and what he's shown here, it may not be long before he joins them.