The Pittsburgh Pirates signed 29-year-old second baseman Sherman Johnson to a minor league deal last week. He was with the team last night as an extra, but did not get into the game.
Johnson had some brief big league time during the 2018 season while with the Los Angeles Angels. He joined the team in mid-September and went 0-for-10 in ten games, reaching base once via hit-by-pitch. Johnson started two games at second base, played five games at second off of the bench, and saw some brief time at first base.
Johnson is a .250/.362/.380 hitter over eight minor league seasons, though those stats include a large amount of time playing in two hitter-friendly parks in the California League and the Pacific Coast League. He has 107 stolen bases, though that part of his game has slowed down in the last few years.
He spent last year in Triple-A for the Cincinnati Reds, hitting .241/.353/.355 in 71 games before being released on July 31st. Defensively he has played about half of his time at second base, though he has some decent experience at all four infield positions. He also has some corner outfield time and has even pitched twice.
Since he didn’t receive a non-roster invite, then he appears to be a versatile veteran depth option for the upper levels.
