The Cubs announced Saturday afternoon that reliever Julian Merryweather has been designated for assignment and Brooks Kriske‘s contract was selected from Triple-A Iowa.

Merryweather spent parts of three seasons on the North Side after being claimed off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays in January 2023.

Merryweather, 33, was a stable bullpen force in his first Cubs season, racking up 98 strikeouts in 72.0 innings while posting a 3.38 ERA. The right-hander is one of only three Cubs relievers to amass 98 strikeouts in a season since 2000, joining Kyle Farnsworth and Carlos Mármol.

Merryweather’s 69 appearances in 2023 were tied for the most by a Cubs reliever that season with Mark Leiter Jr.

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Merryweather’s 2024 season started well, as he allowed only one earned run in 4.2 innings while striking out six. He was placed on the injured list in early April with a right shoulder strain, though, forcing him to miss the next few months, and he struggled after he returned in July, allowing 10 earned runs in 10.1 innings.

Merryweather’s struggles continued in 21 appearances this season, as he allowed at least one earned run in five of his last seven outings. He had a 5.79 ERA after Friday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds.

“Unfortunately, Julian was just struggling a little bit,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters Saturday. “Frankly, we just couldn’t come up with answers (on) how to reverse that.”

Merryweather is known for having a heater in the upper 90s, but he has seen a decrease in his average fastball velocity. Per Baseball Savant, his fastball averaged 98.1 miles per hour in 2023, but it has dipped 96.0 mph the past two seasons.

Merryweather ranked in the bottom 5 percent of pitchers this season in exit velocity and hard-hit percentage, and posted a career-low 17.0 percent strikeout percentage.

Kriske, a 31-year-old right-hander, has 20 career major league appearances with the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals. He’s 2-1 with a 11.22 ERA in those games from 2020 to 2023, but he’d been much better for Triple-A Iowa, with a 3.38 ERA in 13 outings, and 28 strikeouts and eight walks in 18.2 innings.