Dagnabbit! Johnson Out For Year With Tommy John Surgery
Studio shot of
Josh Johnson. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Is it OK to swear on the internet?
Today, Corey Brock of mlb.com reported that Padres pitcher Josh Johnson will undergo his second Tommy John surgery tomorrow.
Goldurnit.
The Padres signed Johnson, who previously had Tommy John surgery in 2007, to a one-year, $8 million contract this offseason. Johnson did not play a game in the regular season, and he will not return this year.
Frack.
The team has an option to sign Johnson for $4 million in 2015. Typically, recovery from Tommy John surgery takes 12-18 months. There is no guarantee Johnson will be ready to play in 2015 despite coming back from his first surgery in 11 months.
The Padres rolled the dice on Johnson and it came up “Snake Eyes.” Johnson was a high-risk, high-reward free agent signing. His potential upside was evidenced by the fact that he was a top-of-the-rotation pitcher who posted a stellar ERA of 2.14 in 2010-2011 for the Marlins. The downside? Johnson has a long history of injuries and struggled last year posting a 6.20 ERA over 81 innings with the Blue Jays. He clearly has the talent to be the staff ace that San Diego was hoping for, but his long history of injuries and his recent pitching troubles made him less than a sure thing. Nevertheless, Johnson was a big part of the reason that pundits like Peter Gammons and Buster Olney picked the Padres to make the playoffs this year.
That appears less likely now.
Johnson showed some promise during Spring Training posting a 3.38 ERA in four starts before being shut down with his forearm issues.
The team’s payroll this year is $86,000,000, and Johnson will earn nearly 10% of that without ever playing a regular season game. As a Padre fan who had high hopes for Johnson and the team this year, this is extremely disappointing.
Now excuse me while I go Google “fake swear words”.