Josh Johnson will return from the DL to the Blue Jays rotation on Tuesday. (Image Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports)
Josh Johnson has been on the shelf with a triceps injury since his last appearance on April 21st, but appears set to rejoin the Toronto Blue Jays starting rotation. The right-hander will be activated from the disabled list on Tuesday, according to Scott Miller at CBSSports.com.
In four starts before landing on the DL, Johnson was 0-1 with a 6.86 ERA and 1.881 WHIP over 19.2 IP. He was hit particularly hard in his last rehab outing as well (6 runs on 8 hits in 4.2 IP), though the team appears more concerned about his physical results than the results on the mound in those outings. The team could certainly use the boost with Johnson’s return, as their 4.58 staff ERA is the worst in all of baseball aside from the Houston Astros. Toronto’s starting rotation holds a 5.53 ERA, 13th in the American League.
Acquired in November’s blockbuster trade with the Miami Marlins, Johnson is not the only player that ended up in Toronto who’s missed significant time on the season. Jose Reyes also remains sidelined with an ankle injury.
Still just 29 years old, Johnson will be a free agent at season’s end and will need to demonstrate his health more than anything over the rest of the year. If he can show that health quickly and produce some solid results, the possibility also remains that the Blue Jays could look to move him prior to the July trade deadline.