The Nationals have agreed to a minor league contract with Daniel Johnson, reports Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post (Twitter link). Johnson, who had recently been released from a minors deal with the Mets, will presumably head to Triple-A Rochester.
The 5’10” outfielder is a familiar face for the organization. He began his professional career as a fifth-round pick of the Nats back in 2016, spending two years in the system. Johnson reached Double-A before being dealt to Cleveland in the Yan Gomes trade over the 2018-19 offseason. After some strong performances in the upper levels of the system, Johnson reached the big leagues with Cleveland in 2020. He never got an extended MLB look and struggled in his brief action, compiling just a .202/.245/.337 showing in 35 games between 2020-21.
Johnson cleared outright waivers last offseason. After a rough 17-game stretch with Triple-A Columbus to open this year, the Guardians flipped him to the Mets for cash in late May. The left-hander missed around a month to injury and didn’t hit at all during a 14-game stint with their top affiliate in Syracuse before being let go. He’ll try to get things back on track with his original club.
Even including his rough 2022 numbers, Johnson has a decent .255/.324/.449 line in parts of three seasons at Triple-A. The 27-year-old also had some prospect pedigree, generally placing among the middle tier of the Washington and Cleveland farm systems between 2018-20. He has an elite arm and an intriguing combination of power and athleticism, but he’s mostly limited to the corner outfield and has run lofty strikeout totals against upper level pitching.
