Bryce

Johnson

It’s the third start at the position for Tatis, who is creeping closer to eligibility for fantasy purposes in leagues that require five or ten games played in-season at a position. Bryce Johnson will start in right field for the Padres and will bat ninth against Angels’ right-hander Walbert Urena on Sunday afternoon.

It appears to be a routine day off for Merrill after seven consecutive starts in center field to open the year. The 22-year-old is off to a frosty start, hitting .185 (5-for-27) with one homer and four RBI this season. It’ll be light-hitting speedster Bryce Johnson in center field and batting ninth on Saturday afternoon at Fenway Park.

Merrill will get some extra time off to rest and recover after tweaking his left ankle during Sunday’s series finale against the Dodgers. It doesn’t sound like a massive concern, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see him sit out a couple games this week. It’ll be speedster Bryce Johnson making his first start since July 31 on Monday night in his absence.

Bryce Johnson will take over in center field on Sunday afternoon in Washington D.C. The 22-year-old star center fielder is presumably day-to-day heading into Monday’s series opener against the Marlins down in Miami.

Johnson joins San Diego’s active roster in a bench role ahead of Monday’s series opener against the Dodgers. The 29-year-old speedster provides the Padres with a capable center fielder and pinch-running specialist while Jackson Merrill is on the concussion injured list.

Johnson got into 47 games last year for San Diego and provides them with some emergency center field depth at Triple-A El Paso with both Jackson Merrill (hamstring) and Brandon Lockridge (hamstring) on the injured list. He’s a decent defender with plus speed, which makes him a decent bench option, but he offers virtually nothing at the dish from an offensive standpoint.

No surprises here as Pittsburgh pares down its spring roster to just 42 players. The decision to jettison Delay leaves some combination of Joey Bart, Henry Davis and Endy Rodríguez as the likely season-opening catching mix behind the plate.

Johnson is the most noteworthy of the three despite posting a .177/.248/.226 slash line over 140 MLB plate appearances. In 2024, he hit hitting .288/.407/.431 with the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate in El Paso. He has always posted solid walk rates and can swipe bases, so there’s a chance he can play his way into some at-bats in Pittsburgh in 2024. Nuñez could provide organization depth at the corner infield spots, and Yean was traded with Wil Crowe from the Nationals to the Pirates for Josh Bell back in 2020. Yean had been the Nationals’ 6th-ranked prospect at the time but he hasn’t been able to match those expectations.

All of these were easy cuts. Patiño, the former top prospect whom the Padres got back from the White Sox off waivers last winter, underwent Tommy John surgery in May. He’ll almost surely be offered a minor league contract to stick around.

Johnson got a lot of playing time in pace of Fernando Tatis. Jr initially after being called up, but David Peralta overtook him, and Johnson was mostly a defensive replacement of late. He hit .206/.286/.238 in 73 plate appearances.