Troy

Johnston

Johnston, 28, finally got his first chance to play in the majors in August and did solid work in hitting .277/.331/.420 in 121 plate appearances. He doesn’t offer much upside, but he gives the Rockies another potentially adequate first base stopgap to go along with Blaine Crim and Michael Toglia. They could compete for the job in spring training as the Rockies await the arrival of Charlie Condon.

As a team, the Marlins were only able to muster five hits in the ballgame, all of them singles. Johnston was the only member of the Marlins to collect more than one. He singled off of Walker Buehler to lead off the third inning but was ultimately stranded at third base. He also singled off of David Robertson in the ninth inning. The 28-year-old is now hitting .283/.339/.434 with four homers and 13 RBI in 115 plate appearances with the Fish.

Johnston put the Marlins on the board in the second inning, driving in a run on a base hit. He later gave the team the lead with a solo homer off Jack Leiter in the sixth. The 28-year-old outfielder is hitting .283/.336/.444 with four homers and 13 RBI across 107 plate appearances.

Johnston drew a walk in the third inning, then took Troy Melton deep for a solo homer in the sixth. With the game tied in the 11th inning, Johnston sent everyone home with a walk-off two-run blast off Rafael Montero for his second homer of the game and third of the season. The 28-year-old first baseman is hitting .265/.315/.422 across 89 plate appearances, starting primarily against right-handed pitching.

Norby began a rehab assignment on Monday and has gone 8-for-18 with three home runs and five RBI in six games. The Marlins could activate him as soon as Monday, which could end Javier Sanoja’s time as an everyday player, but could also cut into Troy Johnston’s playing time if Miami moves Sanoja back to the outfield.

Hicks has been seeing regular action as the Marlins’ cleanup hitter whether it has been as their catcher, first baseman or designated hitter. He’ll get a breather in this one though in a juicy matchup against right-hander Bryce Elder. Agustin Ramirez will do the catching while Troy Johnston will start at first base and bat seventh for the Marlins.

He takes the roster spot of Nick Fortes. It’s the first major league callup for the 28-year-old Johnston. An outstanding 2023 season between Double- and Triple-A (.307/.399/.549 with 26 HR and 116 RBI) got him some attention a couple of years back, but he’s been only solid since, hitting .252/.333/.439 in Triple-A this year. The Marlins will probably use him some against righties, mostly at Eric Wagaman’s expense.

The Marlins have a 40-man roster spot open after trading Nick Fortes to the Rays, and it appears that Johnston will be called up to take that spot. The 28-year-old is hitting .252/.333/.439 with 12 home runs and 31 steals in 84 games at Triple-A this season. His power hasn’t quite gotten back to the levels that saw him hit 26 home runs in 2023, but his average exit velocity on the season is 90.9 mph, so there is still some thump in his bat. Johnston has played 33 games at 1B this season and 33 games in left field, so he could fill in at multiple spots with Liam Hicks now likely becoming the backup catcher behind Agustin Ramirez. Johnston could be an asset in deeper leagues with his modest power/speed upside.

Over his last 25 games, Mervis is hitting .141/.238/.268 with two home runs and a 36 percent strikeout rate, so it’s understandable why the Marlins would be looking for more. The 27-year-old Johnston is hitting .270/.362/.467 in 34 games at Triple-A with four home runs and 14 steals. He stole 17 bases in 125 games last year, so his current stolen base pace would crush that mark. Johnston doesn’t have Mervis’ power, but he also has rarely ever posted a strikeout rate above 20 percent at any minor league level, so he would bring some added contact and speed to the Marlins lineup, at the cost of power.

The Marlins were fortunate not to lose Johnston in the Rule 5 draft after leaving him unprotected following a season in which he hit .307/.399/.549 with 26 homers and 20 steals between Double- and Triple-A. His ceiling is rightfully in question, but he’ll deserve a look this year if (when) Avisaíl García falters in the DH spot.