Erik Craig Johnson (born December 30, 1989) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox and San Diego Padres.
Erik Johnson | |
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![]() Johnson at the 2015 Triple-A All-Star Game | |
Pitcher | |
Born: (1989-12-30) December 30, 1989 (age 32) Mountain View, California | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
September 4, 2013, for the Chicago White Sox | |
Last appearance | |
June 28, 2016, for the San Diego Padres | |
MLB statistics | |
Win–loss record | 7–10 |
Earned run average | 5.28 |
Strikeouts | 87 |
Teams | |
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Johnson played college baseball at University of California, Berkeley and was drafted in the 2nd round by the Chicago White Sox during the 2011 MLB Draft.[1] He started his career with the Rookie-Level Great Falls Voyagers in 2011. He only pitched in two games and two innings during the 2011 season. In 2012, Johnson started the season with Class A Kannapolis Intimidators but was later promoted to Class A-Advanced Winston-Salem Dash.[2]
Johnson finished the 2012 season with a combined record of 6–5 during 17 starts, 92+1⁄3 innings, 2.53 ERA, 82 hits, 29 walks and 87 strikeouts. At the start of the 2013 season, Johnson was ranked the White Sox #3 prospect.[3][4][5] He started the season at Double-A Birmingham Barons.[6] After going 8–2 in 14 starts, 84+2⁄3 innings, 2.23 ERA, 57 hits, 21 walks and 74 strikeouts, he was promoted to Triple-A Charlotte Knights.
Johnson made his MLB debut with the White Sox on September 4, 2013.
On June 4, 2016, Johnson and Fernando Tatís Jr. were traded to the San Diego Padres in exchange for James Shields.[7] After the trade, he was demoted to AAA but was called up to pitch in the Padres rotation a week later. Through his first four starts with the Padres, Johnson was 0–4 with an ERA of 9.15 while allowing more than four runs in each start. He was placed on the disabled list on July 1. On October 11, 2016, it was announced that Johnson would miss the entire 2017 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.[8] On December 16, Johnson signed a new minor league contract with the Padres.[9] He elected free agency on November 6, 2017. On March 6, 2018, Johnson resigned a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres. He was assigned to AA San Antonio Missions for the 2018 season, after which he became a free agent.[10]