The Indians announced that they have designated infielder Chris Johnson for assignment. The move will make room for the newly-signed Rajai Davis on the roster.
Johnson, 31, has a career slash line of .280/.316/.411 across seven big league seasons. He first arrived in Atlanta prior to the 2013 season as a part of the Justin Upton deal. This year, he was shipped to the Indians in a waiver trade that saw Michael Bourn, Nick Swisher, and cash considerations go to the Braves.
Johnson signed a three-year, $23.5MM contract prior to the 2014 season. Then 29 years old, Johnson was coming off a career year in which he batted .321/.358/.457 with 12 homers. However, much of that production was the result of a .394 batting average on balls in play, and his overall numbers have come back down to Earth as his BABIP regressed to his career norm. He hasn’t looked like an ~$8MM player as of late, but he could be a useful platoon bat given his success against lefties.
Johnson now joins Tyler Olson (Mariners), Rey Navarro (Orioles), A.J. Achter (Phillies), and Dan Otero (Phillies) in DFA limbo. To keep track of everyone who gets designated for assignment, check out MLBTR’s DFA Tracker.
Never was a walker so he pretty much has no value besides a bench bat.
So glad we got rid of him he couldn’t hit the Pacific Ocean if he was falling into it. The guy had one good year and frank wren wanted to lock him up for 3 years, see why wren is gone now
Agreed. These terrible extensions were bad, but Wren’s complete depletion and neglect of the farm system is the main reason why he was dismissed. Yes, the contracts he signed were bad (Upton, Johnson, Lowe, Kawakami, Uggla extension), but those were all somewhat manageable deals if we had had the farm depth to fill in the holes. Regardless, good luck in BOS, Frank. Hope you’re searching for a darn-good insurance plan for David Price.
Wren just needs someone else to handle contracts. He did very well on most trades. He didnt give up much for Uggla and no one could predict how far he would fall. Wouldnt have been as bad if he didnt sign him to an extension right away
If the Indians pick up a good portion of salary I imagine someone will give him a look. If not for that dollar amount he would be a typical Pirates pickup.