Indians send Ryan Merritt to Columbus, sign catcher

CLEVELAND – The Indians have been busy making adjustments to the roster as the gear up for the second half of the season. That continued on Saturday, as the team announced pitcher Ryan Merritt had cleared waivers and was assigned to Columbus.

Merritt made a key start during the franchise’s 2016 playoff run that ended with them losing the World Series. With the Indians boasting a shorthanded rotation at the time, Merritt started a series-clinching Game Five in the ALCS. The lefty through four and a third innings of two-hit baseball against the Blue Jays and paved the way for a 3-0 win.

Last season, Merritt appeared in five games and posted a 1.74 ERA in 20.2 innings of work, but couldn’t establish a full-time role with the major league club. He started 2018 on the disabled list with a knee sprain before being optioned to triple-A today.

Cleveland also announced the signing of catcher Rob Brantly to a minor-league deal with Columbus. That move comes after the triple-A club lost regular catcher Francisco Mejia in this week’s trade that brought the Indians Brad Hand and Adam Cimber.

Brantly, 29, last saw time in the majors with the White Sox in 2017, playing in 13 games. He’s spent the entirety of the 2018 campaign in the Atlanta Braves’ system with Triple-A Gwinnett, but was released last weekend. In eight-career seasons, Brantly has appeared in 125 games at the major league level.