D. J. Johnson

Daniel Stuart Johnson (born August 30, 1989) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Cleveland Indians, and Tampa Bay Rays, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp and Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.

Amateur career Johnson attended Sunset High School in Beaverton, Oregon. He attended Mount Hood Community College in Gresham, Oregon for two years (2008 and 2009).

Professional career Tampa Bay Rays Undrafted after his junior year of college, Johnson signed a free agent contract with the Tampa Bay Rays on June 24, 2010, after being noticed by a scout at a local American Legion exhibition game. He made 47 appearances for the Double–A Arkansas Travelers in 2016, compiling a 4.02 ERA with 67 strikeouts and 6 saves across innings pitched. Johnson elected free agency following the season on November 7, 2016.

Colorado Rockies Johnson signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies on November 18, 2016.

In 2019, Johnson made the Rockies' Opening Day roster. Johnson was released by the Rockies on October 23, 2019 to seek an opportunity in Japan.

Hiroshima Toyo Carp On October 25, 2019, Johnson signed a one-year contract with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Nippon Professional Baseball.(NPB) On July 10, 2020, Johnson made his NPB debut.

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles On September 21, 2020, Johnson was traded to the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in exchange for cash. In 16 appearances for the Eagles, he logged a 3.07 ERA with 16 strikeouts. On December 2, 2020, Johnson became a free agent.

Cleveland Indians On February 2, 2021, Johnson was signed by the Cleveland Indians to a minor league contract. He began the 2021 season with the Columbus Clippers, the Indians' Triple-A affiliate.

In May 2021, Johnson was named to the roster of the United States national baseball team for the Americas Qualifying Event.

On July 7, 2021, Johnson was selected to the 40-man roster and added to the Indians’ active roster.

Tampa Bay Rays (second stint) On July 30, 2021, Johnson was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays along with Jordan Luplow in exchange for Peyton Battenfield. On August 16, Johnson was placed on the 60-day injured list with a sprained right shoulder, with manager Kevin Cash noting that he would miss "significant time." On November 5, Johnson was outrighted off of the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

High Point Rockers On January 11, 2024, after two years of inactivity, Johnson signed with the Leones de Yucatán of the Mexican League. However, he was released prior to the start of the LMB season on April 1.

On August 14, 2024, Johnson signed with the High Point Rockers of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. In 4 games for High Point, Johnson struggled to a 9.00 ERA with 5 strikeouts over 4 innings pitched.

York Revolution On August 30, 2024, Johnson was traded to the York Revolution of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. In 5 games for the Revolution, he struggled to a 24.55 ERA with 4 strikeouts over innings of work. With York, Johnson won the Atlantic League championship. He became a free agent following the season.

Tigres de Quintana Roo On June 2, 2025, Johnson signed with the Tigres de Quintana Roo of the Mexican League. He made 24 appearances for Quintana Roo, posting an 0-1 record and 4.15 ERA with 19 strikeouts across innings pitched. Johnson was released by the Tigres on November 24.

Hagerstown Flying Boxcars On April 16, 2026, Johnson signed with the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.

Personal life After the 2016 season, Johnson was not offered a contract by the Angels, and he worked at a lumber yard that offseason before being signed by the Rockies.