Johnson has heard from the Reds, Braves and Blue Jays about a non-roster deal, but he's waiting on a major league contract, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports.
Instead of spending the money it would take to sign a veteran like Johnson, teams are opting for cheaper players with little track record, so the 35-year-old finds himself a free agent late into training camp. The Indians are another possibility after they shut down Jason Kipnis for two weeks with a strained rotator cuff in his right shoulder.
Johnson is in Monday's lineup against the Cardinals.
Johnson will start at second base and hit seventh for Wednesday's outing in St. Louis. Although he's hitting just .250 for the year, Johnson has heated up at the plate in recent games. Over the last 14 days, Johnson is 7-for-23 (.304) with two home runs and four walks.
Johnson walked and hit his eighth home run in a 1-for-3 game in Tuesday's win over Arizona.
Johnson already has four home runs in just 29 at-bats in August. Despite his awful start to the season with the Braves (.215/.273/.289, one home run in 49 games), he has found a groove with the Mets. His batting line in New York is now up to a cool .276/.342/.524 as he is providing the power threat up the middle the Mets desperately needed.
Johnson is out of the lineup Sunday against the Padres. It's the third game in a row that he'll serve in a bench role.
Jose Reyes' return from an oblique injury should effectively end Johnson's run as a regular starter. The Mets figure to run out an infield of James Loney, Neil Walker, Wilmer Flores and Reyes more often than not, forcing Johnson to settle for spot starts and pinch-hitting duties off the bench.
Johnson pinch hit for outfielder Ty Kelly in the ninth inning Wednesday, and hit a game-tying, two-run home run off D-Backs closer Jake Barrett.
Unfortunately for the Mets, Johnson's heroics were not enough, as they eventually fell to Arizona 3-2 in 12 innings. Johnson actually saw another at-bat as the game went on, but struck out. Power has been hard to come by for Johnson this year, as the homer was just his 7th of the year and the RBI were his 20th and 21st despite getting 218 at-bats. His home run Wednesday was quite the big fly though, traveling a projected 430 feet into right field. Johnson's batting average now sits at .245.
Johnson went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Tigers.
Johnson was one of the few to get to Tigers starter Justin Verlander, blasting a 370-foot shot in the fourth. The veteran has hits in his three August starts and homers in back-to-back contests.
Johnson got his first start Wednesday since before the All-Star break and did not disappoint, going 4-for-4 with four singles in a loss to the Cubs.
Johnson has primarily been used off the bench of late, but made the case for more playing time with his big day at the plate. The performance raises Johnson's batting average to .256 on the season.
Johnson is in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals, Adam Rubin of ESPN.com reports.
Johnson will get the start as the Mets try to stack left-handed hitters against right-handed ace Max Scherzer. The 34-year-old is hitting .237 with three home runs and 13 RBI through 64 games this season.
Johnson went 1-for-1 with a solo homer Saturday at the Braves.
Johnson appeared as a pinch hitter in the 11th inning of a scoreless game, and his third homer of the year won the game for the Mets. Since being acquired from the Braves earlier this month, he's hit two homers in 12 games played.
Johnson is in the lineup for Friday's game against Atlanta.
Johnson will be playing third base and batting sixth in the order due to Wilmer Flores' wrist injury. The veteran has gone 8-for-20 with one home run and two RBI for the Mets since being dealt to the team on June 8.
Johnson went 3-for-5 with a homer, two RBI and two runs in Wednesday's 11-2 rout of the Pirates.
In five games since being traded from the Braves to the Mets for the second consecutive season, Johnson's gone 7-for-17 with three extra-base hits and a couple walks -- not a bad start after he hit just .215 in 49 games with the Braves to open the season. He should find his way into the lineup reasonably often against right-handed pitching, but don't expect big things from the 34-year-old Johnson.
Johnson was added to Wednesday's lineup to replace Juan Lagares, who was scratched with a left thumb injury, Adam Rubin of ESPN.com reports.
Lagares continues to struggle with his thumb injury, and Johnson will step into left field for the night while Yoenis Cespedes shifts back to his usual center field role. Johnson is hitting .333 with two doubles and two runs in four games since being traded to the Mets.
Johnson is starting at second base Tuesday against the Pirates.
Johnson gets the nod with Neil Walker sidelined with his back ailment. Walker is not expected to be out long, but while he is, Johnson should start almost daily at second base.
Johnson is starting at second base Friday against the Brewers.
Johnson, who the Mets just re-acquired from the Braves for Akeel Morris, is in the lineup in place of the injured Neil Walker (chest). Johnson will also see time at first and third base, giving James Loney and Wilmer Flores days off, providing additional lineup flexibility to manager Terry Collins.
Johnson is in the lineup and batting seventh in his Mets debut Wednesday against the Pirates.
Johnson was hitting just .215/.273/.289 with the Braves through 49 games, so it remains to be seen whether the 34-year-old will provide an offensive boost to the Mets, but at the very least he will add veteran experience and be a quality, versatile defender in the infield.
Johnson was traded to the Mets on Wednesday in exchange for minor league pitcher Akeel Morris, ESPN's Adam Rubin reports.
By acquiring Johnson, the Mets add another established veteran to their infield corps. Johnson has primarily played second base this season with the Braves, but his versatility makes him a viable option at the corner infield spots as well. With David Wright sidelined and stopgap options like Ty Kelly and Matt Reynolds struggling to adjust to major league pitching, the acquisition of Kelly is a potentially shrewd move for the Mets as he could be a fixture in the lineup until Wright returns. Johnson will also provide depth up the middle if Neil Walker or Wilmer Flores need days off.
Johnson was traded to the Mets on Wednesday in exchange for minor league pitcher Akeel Morris, ESPN's Adam Rubin reports.
By acquiring Johnson, the Mets add another established veteran to their infield corps. Johnson has primarily played second base this season with the Braves, but his versatility makes him a viable option at the corner infield spots as well. With David Wright sidelined and stopgap options like Ty Kelly and Matt Reynolds struggling to adjust to major league pitching, the acquisition of Kelly is a potentially shrewd move for the Mets as he could be a fixture in the lineup until Wright returns. Johnson will also provide depth up the middle if Neil Walker or Wilmer Flores need days off.
Johnson is out of the lineup Thursday against the Giants.
After making three straight starts at second base, Johnson will take a seat in favor of Chase d'Arnaud, who will be batting second in the order. With tough lefty Madison Bumgarner on the hill for the opposing Giants, manager Brian Snitker will look to get as many right-handed bats in his lineup as possible.
Johnson is not in the lineup Friday against the Marlins.
Johnson has been cold as of late, batting just .125 over the past week, and with Adam Conley taking the mound for Miami, the Braves decided it would be best to keep the utility man on the bench. Gordon Beckham will slide over to man second base in his stead, while Chase d'Arnaud takes over at the hot corner.
Johnson is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Brewers.
After garnering the start for the series opener, Johnson will head to the bench for game two. Even with right-handers on the mound, Johnson has been ceding a lot of starts to younger players lately in what seems to be an effort to feel out the different options the Braves have for the future. That trend will continue Wednesday, as Reid Brignac takes over for the 34-year-old at second base.
Minor League Batting Stats | ||||||||||||||||
Year | Team | GP | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | CS | AVG | OBP | SLG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2000 | R-Braves | 53 | 193 | 27 | 52 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 29 | 24 | 45 | 6 | 1 | .269 | .349 | .425 |
2001 | A-Macon | 124 | 415 | 75 | 120 | 22 | 1 | 23 | 66 | 71 | 111 | 25 | 6 | .289 | .404 | .513 |
2002 | A-Myrtle Bch | 126 | 482 | 62 | 123 | 21 | 5 | 12 | 49 | 51 | 105 | 12 | 15 | .255 | .325 | .394 |
2003 | AA-Greenville | 98 | 334 | 46 | 92 | 22 | 5 | 6 | 45 | 35 | 81 | 10 | 3 | .275 | .340 | .425 |
2003 | R-Braves | 6 | 26 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | .385 | .467 | .615 |
2004 | AA-Greenville | 135 | 479 | 70 | 135 | 35 | 3 | 16 | 50 | 49 | 102 | 9 | 9 | .282 | .350 | .468 |
2005 | AAA-Richmond | 44 | 155 | 35 | 48 | 12 | 3 | 8 | 22 | 34 | 22 | 7 | 1 | .310 | .438 | .581 |
2006 | AAA-Richmond | 10 | 39 | 3 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 0 | .333 | .425 | .513 |
2006 | A-Rome | 5 | 19 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | .474 | .583 | .842 |
2009 | AAA-Gwinnett | 13 | 52 | 9 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | .308 | .339 | .596 |
2014 | AA-Portland Sea Dogs | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .250 | .000 |
2015 | AAA-Gwinnett Braves | 2 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -- | 1 | 0 | 0 | .143 | .143 | .429 |