It wasn't the plan, but Dan Meyer will take it.

The former James Madison baseball player spent most of the decade regarded as a strong starting pitching prospect, first with the Braves, then the Athletics.

But Meyer is sticking in the big leagues this season with the Marlins, as a reliever.

"The Marlins gave me a great opportunity in the bullpen. I'm enjoying the role that I'm given right now," Meyer said Tuesday by phone from Boston, where the Marlins are opening a three-game series with the Red Sox.

"And I almost pitch everyday, I feel like," he said. "To me, it's a lot of fun."

Atlanta selected Meyer 34th overall, in the first round of the 2002 MLB amateur draft. He was then the centerpiece prospect of the 2004 trade between the Braves and Oakland that sent Tim Hudson to Atlanta.

The A's put Meyer on the fast track to the big leagues, until a left shoulder problem almost ended his career.

"That's the toughest part, for a year-and-a-half rehabbing, having that question mark," Meyer said. "You just have to keep getting on that horse everyday and just keep working hard."

"To get through that, it almost makes it that much sweeter," he added. "To get here now, to be spending so far this whole year here, to be as successful as I am, it's great. It feels great."

Oakland placed Meyer on waivers following the 2008 season. The Marlins claimed him last November, and moved the lefty to the bullpen.

"It's been pretty good. I mean, it's been relatively easy," Meyer said, crediting the help of veteran relievers Matt Lindstrom and Scott Proctor, along with pitching coach Mark Wiley and bullpen coach Scott Foster.

"I mean, I'm having a good year this year, but I still have a lot to learn as far as out of that bullpen," he said. "So everyday you just have to keep your mind open and try to take in as much as you can."

Going into Tuesday's game, Meyer's 32 appearances were third on the team, and his 2.28 ERA ranked fifth on the staff. And he picked up his first career Major League win this past Saturday in Toronto.

"It's kind of a little weight off my shoulders," Meyer said. "Being a starting pitcher originally, getting almost seven or eight chances at it, not being able to do it. And then to just, to do it makes you feel like you really belong a little bit. It gets that weight off, and kind of relaxes you a little bit."