Red Sox Place LHP Brian Johnson on Waivers
By Michael Luciano
The Boston Red Sox cut bait with another member of the 2018 World Series squad, this time a valued long reliever.
Boston placed left hander Brian Johnson, who made seven starts last year, on waivers.
#RedSox left-hander Brian Johnson also on outright waivers, sources tell The Athletic. With Thanksgiving holiday looming, a number of similar moves are expected today as teams address their 40-man roster in advance of the non-tender deadline on Dec. 2.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 25, 2019
Johnson shuffled between the majors and Triple-A Pawtucket between 2015 and 2017, but emerged as a deadly long reliever and spot starter on the 2018 Red Sox team that won the World Series. That year, he went 4-5 with a 4.17 ERA, appearing in 38 games and making 13 starts.
The 2019 campaign year was an abject disaster. Spending plenty of time away from Boston due to injury and personal reasons, Johnson managed just a 6.02 ERA in 21 games, and was a member of a laughable Boston bullpen that was one of the main reasons the Red Sox didn't make the playoffs.
Only fitting
— Boston Sports Info (@bostonsportsinf) September 29, 2019
Red Sox now with 31 blown saves by 12 different RP's
Matt Barnes- 8
Brandon Workman- 6
Ryan Brasier- 4
Marcus Walden- 4
Josh Taylor- 2
Heath Hembree- 1
Hector Velazquez- 1
Colten Brewer- 1
Nathan Eovaldi- 1
Brian Johnson- 1
Josh Smith- 1
Mike Shawaryn- 1
details pic.twitter.com/oZxSbAWhdF
Soon to be 30 and coming off the worst season of his career, Johnson isn't going to have the most robust of markets, but it wouldn't be unreasonable for some team to sign him to a minor-league deal in the hops of bringing him back to his 2018 form.