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Josh Johnson’s return pushed back again as move to 60-day DL rules him out until second half

Josh Johnson

Florida Marlins starting pitcher Josh Johnson works in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday, April 13, 2011, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

AP

At this rate the Marlins will announce next week that Josh Johnson won’t be returning until 2015.

Johnson was initially expected to miss just a couple weeks with shoulder inflammation when Florida placed him on the disabled list in mid-May, but manager Edwin Rodriguez admitted Monday that they were no longer expecting Johnson back before July and last night the Marlins transferred him to the 60-day disabled list, ruling out a return before the All-Star break.

Rodriguez explained the move by saying that Johnson has yet to start building back his arm strength and will need multiple bullpen sessions followed by multiple rehab appearances before potentially being ready to rejoin the rotation, but not explained is why his timetable has gone from two weeks to two months (and counting) without the presence of a significant setback.

Was he misdiagnosed at the time on the initial DL stint? Did he suffer a major setback that simply wasn’t explained by the team? And if the answer is neither of those things, then how does one of the best pitchers in baseball go from sitting out a couple weeks with shoulder inflammation to being placed on the 60-day DL?