Dan Johnson finally arrives…
Monday, April 21st, 2008… but I still have no idea what the Rays are going to do with him.
Still, the Rays have sent Jeff Niemann back to the Durham to make room for Johnson on the roster. (MLB.com)
The move to send Niemann back to Durham wasn’t surprising in and of itself, as the off-day on Monday allows Andy Sonnanstine to move up a day in the rotation. After his last outing, Niemann was clearly going to be the first starting pitcher to drop out when Matt Garza and Scott Kazmir are ready to return, and reports are that Garza will likely get the ball on Saturday against the Red Sox.
The next question, of course, is what are the Rays going to do to make room for Garza? The smart money is on the Rays to option Justin Ruggiano back to AAA, but another injury between now and then could change things.
The other thing that could change things is the fact that the Rays don’t need Dan Johnson. Why couldn’t they simply DFA him themselves at the end of the week? He doesn’t add anything to this roster that we don’t already have. We already have one player who can do nothing but play first base and DH (Carlos Pena). Why in the world would be carry a SECOND player who does that? Jonny Gomes and Eric Hinske are both hitting well right now, and Justin Ruggiano gives the Rays a good second option against left-handed pitching. Sure, once Cliff Floyd is ready to come back he’s absolutely out the door, but what good does Dan Johnson do this team right now? Absolutely none.
With the number of injuries we’ve already sustained, it’s incredibly important to retain as much versatility as possible. And no offense to Dan Johnson, but he doesn’t add any versatility at all. After days of trying to figure it out, I still can’t do it.
