September 9, 2008 Dan Johnson may have missed his chance to start, but he still managed to shine. He smacked a game-tying homer off Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon in the ninth inning on Tuesday night. The Rays went on to win 5-4 three batters later.
Our View:It certainly was an interesting day for Johnson, who probably woke up thinking he'd be playing a playoff game for the Durham Bulls.
September 9, 2008 Due to a late arrival, Dan Johnson did not start in left field for the Rays on Tuesday night. The club instead plugged Ben Zobrist into the lineup in center field, moved Gabe Gross to right field, and shifted Eric Hinkse to left, the Tampa Tribune reports.
Our View:The Rays made a late call to move Johnson up from Durham, so this isn't really his fault.
September 9, 2008 Dan Johnson was not only called up on Tuesday. He will play left field and his second against Daisuke Matsuzaka and the Red Sox, the Boston Globe notes.
Our View:Johnson was the co-MVP of the Durham Bulls this year, which of course makes him ready to face Dice-K.
September 9, 2008 Dan Johnson has been recalled by the Rays from Triple-A Durham, according to the Tampa Tribune. Infielder Joel Guzman was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.
Our View:Johnson crushed 25 homers at Durham and maintained a .307 batting average, and was brought in to provide depth with BJ Upton (strained left quad) and Shawn Riggans (knee bursitis) both expected to be out for a few days. He has never played anything but first base in the majors, but the Rays are listing him as an outfielder.
April 26, 2008 Dan Johnson hit a home run as Triple-A Durham’s DH on Saturday.
Our View:Johnson is much too good to be playing at Triple-A, but he certainly has not done anything over the last couple seasons to show that he deserves regular playing time in the majors.
