In less than a year, Jenrry Mejia has gone from banned from baseball to a member of the defending World Series Champions. On Tuesday, Mejia signed a minor league deal with the Boston Red Sox.
According to Jon Heyman of Fancred, Jenrry Mejia, a former right-handed reliever, will join the Boston Red Sox for the 2019 season. The righty is set to join the 2018 World Series Champions on a minor league pact, which will pay Mejia $625k if promoted to the Major League roster (via Bob Nightengale of USA Today).
This deal is intriguing because it is a low-risk move by a team seeking relief depth.
As we all know, Jenrry Mejia has not pitched in Major League Baseball since 2015 due to three PED-related violations. Mejia’s conduct led to a lifetime ban, which was lifted in July of 2018, more than two years after its inception. Mejia was very apologetic in a statement made shortly after his reinstatement (via Metsblog.com).
"“I’ve had a long, difficult time away from the game to contemplate the mistakes I’ve made both with regard to my positive drug tests and also the false allegations I made about Major League Baseball’s investigation into my testing history. Baseball is my profession, my passion and my life, and for those mistakes I am truly sorry.”"
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How will the disgraced right-handed pitcher fair if he is able to return to a Major League mound?
We will have to wait and see, but I believe that it is reasonable to assume that once Mejia becomes reacclimated, he will be able to recapture some of the talent he displayed as a member of the New York Mets. Once upon a time, Mejia was rated as the Mets’ top prospect.
The righty appeared in 113 games over five seasons with the Amazins’, posting an ERA of 3.68 and an ERA+ of 99.
These numbers aren’t terrific, but they still show serviceable talent.
Following the lift of his ban, Mejia was able to make two appearances while playing with the DSL Mets. Overall, the righty’s initial return was successful. Over seven scoreless innings, Mejia only allowed two hits and recorded ten strikeouts.
Mejia followed those appearances up with a successful stint in the Dominican Winter League. As a member of the Toros Del Este, Mejia made eight starts and posted an ERA of 2.54.
Signs seem to be pointing in a positive direction for Jenrry Mejia. Can he be a productive member of the Boston Red Sox in 2019? We will have to wait and see, but this could be an interesting story to follow as Mejia will likely make his presence felt during Spring Training.