The Padres made a series of transactions prior to today’s game, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link). Right-hander Pierce Johnson was activated from the 60-day injured list, right-hander Reiss Knehr was optioned to Triple-A, catcher Austin Nola was activated off the paternity list, and infielder/outfielder Matt Beaty was designated for assignment.
Johnson appeared in six games in April before heading to IL with tendinitis in his right forearm. While the bright side is that forearm issue didn’t result in a longer-term injury like a Tommy John surgery, Johnson still ended up missing most of the 2022 season, costing the Padres a key bullpen arm and costing Johnson a chance to build himself a nice platform for his entry into free agency this winter. Still, the right-hander has time to play an important role down the stretch as San Diego looks to secure a wild card berth.
After playing with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan in 2019, Johnson returned to Major League Baseball when he signed a two-year, $5MM deal with the Padres in January 2020. That contract then became a three-year, $7MM pact when the Padres exercised their club option on Johnson for 2022 — essentially a no-brainer decision given Johnson’s solid work (3.22 ERA, 31.6% strikeout rate) over 58 2/3 innings in 2021.
More to come…
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