Johnson threw a perfect ninth inning to earn the save in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Astros. He did not record a strikeout.
With Emilio Pagan (hamstring) expected to miss significant time and presumed replacement Tony Santillan struggling, the Reds turned to Graham Ashcraft in the eighth inning and then Johnson in the ninth. Johnson needed just 12 pitches to retire the heart of the Astros' order, and he now owns a 3.38 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 15:5 K:BB across 16 innings with two holds and a save. While the Reds' closer situation is likely still unsettled, the 34-year-old certainly helped his case for future save chances with Saturday's performance.
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Reds' Pierce Johnson: Returns from bereavement list
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The Reds activated Johnson from the bereavement list Wednesday.
Johnson is ready to rejoin the bullpen after being away from the club for a few days. The veteran reliever will move up in the Reds' bullpen hierarchy while Emilio Pagan (hamstring) is out and could see some high-leverage opportunities.
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Reds' Pierce Johnson: Lands on bereavement list
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The Reds placed Johnson (personal) on the bereavement list Sunday.
The 34-year-old will step away from the team for a few days for personal reasons. Johnson could rejoin the Reds toward the end of the upcoming road series versus the Cubs, which ends Thursday.
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Reds' Pierce Johnson: Struggles in relief
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Johnson went two-thirds of an inning allowing two runs on two hits while striking out one batter in an 8-3 loss to Detroit on Sunday.
Johnson entered the ballgame in the seventh inning, allowing a solo home run to Spencer Torkelson and an RBI triple to Kerry Carpenter, further cementing Detroit's lead. The 34-year-old has appeared in 14 of the 28 games this campaign, tied for the second-most appearances for Cincinnati. The right-hander had gone his last nine appearances (8.2 innings) since March 31 without allowing a run before Sunday.
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Reds' Pierce Johnson: Lands with Cincinnati
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Johnson agreed to a contract with the Reds on Sunday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
The terms of the deal aren't clear, but Johnson is likely to receive less than the $7 million club option that was declined by Atlanta in November. Johnson recorded one save and 16 holds with a 3.05 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 59:19 K:BB across 65 innings for Atlanta last year.
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Pierce Johnson: Club option declined
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Atlanta declined Johnson's $7 million option for 2026 on Thursday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Johnson has posted a 2.91 ERA and 158:49 K:BB across 139 innings over the past two-and-a-half seasons for Atlanta, so it's a bit of a surprise the club passed on retaining him for a relatively modest sum. The 34-year-old should draw plenty of interest on the open market.
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Braves' Pierce Johnson: Collects third win
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Johnson (3-3) picked up the win Thursday over the Marlins, giving up a hit and striking out one in a scoreless seventh inning.
The right-hander held Miami in check with Atlanta down 6-5 and was rewarded when his squad took the lead for good in the bottom of the seventh. Johnson may have missed a chance to audition as the closer down the stretch when Raisel Iglesias didn't get traded, but Johnson remains a key high-leverage option for Atlanta. He's been scored upon just once since June 13, posting a 0.48 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 19:3 K:BB over his last 19 appearances (18.2 innings) with two wins and five holds.
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Braves' Pierce Johnson: Nabs win Thursday
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Johnson (2-3) picked up the win in Thursday's 12-11 extra-inning victory over the Reds, striking out one in 1.1 perfect relief innings.
The right-hander was viewed as a potential closer candidate for the final two months of the season if Raisel Iglesias got dealt, but with Iglesias still in Atlanta after the trade deadline, Johnson will remain in a setup role. He put an impressive July in the books during which he posted a 0.75 ERA, 0.50 WHIP and 10:2 K:BB over 12 innings while notching one win and three holds in 12 appearances.
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Braves' Pierce Johnson: Riding scoreless streak into break
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Johnson has a 2.67 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 36:10 K:BB through 33.2 innings this season with a win, a save and seven holds in 36 appearances.
The 34-year-old right-hander is tied for second on Atlanta in holds, behind Dylan Lee's nine, and Johnson heads into the All-Star break having not allowed a run since June 7, posting a 0.97 WHIP and 11:3 K:BB in 10.1 innings over that scoreless stretch. If the struggling club decide to be sellers at the trade deadline and move closer Raisel Iglesias, Johnson could move into the ninth-inning mix over the final months of the season.
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Braves' Pierce Johnson: Surrenders walk-off homer
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Johnson (1-3) blew the save and took the loss Saturday against San Francisco. He allowed two runs on two hits while striking out one over two-thirds of an inning.
The right-hander has taken the loss on back-to-back days, this time giving up a two-run homer to Matt Chapman that spoiled Bryce Elder's stellar outing. Johnson has gotten a shot at closing games amid Raisel Iglesias' struggles, but he's posted a 6.23 ERA and 1.73 WHIP over his past 10 appearances, and he has more blown saves on the year (two) than successful conversions (one) .
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Braves' Pierce Johnson: Wild pitch leads to loss
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Johnson (1-2) took the loss Friday against the Giants, allowing an unearned run on one hit over one inning.
After Dylan Lee recorded the first two outs in the ninth inning with the score tied 4-4, Johnson entered the game and gave up a single to Tyler Fitzgerald but promptly picked him off at first base. The right-hander wasn't so fortunate in the 10th, however -- with Fitzgerald at second as the phantom runner, Johnson watched him advance to third on a one-out groundout, and then bounced a curveball well wide of the plate that Sean Murphy couldn't corral to bring home the winning run. Raisel Iglesias appears to be on very thin ice as Atlanta's closer, but performances like this don't make a compelling case for Johnson to replace him. Over his last seven appearances, Johnson has a 6.00 ERA, 1.83 WHIP and 6:2 K:BB in six innings with two losses and a blown save.
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Braves' Pierce Johnson: Converts save chance Tuesday
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Johnson gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday to record his first save of the season in a 5-2 win over the Nationals.
Raisel Iglesias was unavailable after pitching Sunday and Monday, but he's also been struggling badly of late and hasn't successfully converted a save chance since May 4. Johnson, on the other hand, reeled off his 10th straight scoreless appearance Tuesday, a stretch in which he's posted a 0.20 WHIP and 10:0 K:BB in 10 innings. While manager Brian Snitker hasn't yet indicated he's contemplating a change in the ninth inning, Johnson is making a strong case for a spot in the closing mix, at least until Iglesias rights the ship.
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Braves' Pierce Johnson: Notches first hold of 2025
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Johnson gave up a hit and a walk over two-thirds of a scoreless inning to record his first hold of the season in Wednesday's loss to the Dodgers. He struck out one.
Entering the game in the sixth inning to protect a 5-3 lead is a long way from the high-leverage usage Johnson was expected to see this season, but Atlanta was desperate to secure its first win of 2025. How the setup crew was deployed ended up being moot when closer Raisel Iglesias served up a walk-off homer to Shohei Ohtani. Johnson has been sharp in the early going, posting a 0.00 ERA and 4:1 K:BB through his first 2.2 innings, and once Atlanta gets off the shneid, holds should start to pile up for him.
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Braves' Pierce Johnson: Locked into setup role
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Johnson is expected to open the season as one of Atlanta's primary setup men in front of closer Raisel Iglesias, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
Johnson had a solid first full season with Atlanta in 2024 that included a career-high six wins and 12 holds, and he will be counted on to handle more high-leverage duties with Joe Jimenez (knee) out until at least the All-Star break. If Johnson struggles, he could be pushed for late-inning work by Hector Neris, who didn't sign with the team until March 3 but racked up 31 holds as recently as 2023 with the Astros.
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Braves' Pierce Johnson: Picks up second save
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Johnson recorded a save Saturday, pitching a perfect ninth inning against the Nationals.
Johnson entered the contest with a two-run lead in the top of the ninth and managed to retire the side on just four pitches to secure his second save of the campaign. The right-hander was able to take advantage of a rare save opportunity after Raisel Iglesias hurled three innings over Atlanta's previous two games and likely was in need of some rest. Johnson has not allowed any runs in each of his last four appearances, allowing two hits over that stretch while posting a 2:2 K:BB.
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Braves' Pierce Johnson: Nabs fourth win
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Johnson (4-2) picked up the win Wednesday over the Brewers, allowing one hit and one walk over 1.1 scoreless innings. He struck out two.
The right-hander recorded the final out of the sixth inning in relief of Chris Sale, just in time to watch Atlanta's offense break open a 2-2 tie in the top of the seventh. Johnson has given up only one earned run over his last 13 appearances dating back to June 15, posting a 0.67 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 18:4 K:BB through 13.1 innings over that stretch while pocketing two wins and two holds.
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Braves' Pierce Johnson: Stuck with loss Thursday
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Johnson (3-2) took the loss Thursday as Atlanta fell 3-2 in 10 innings to the Mets, giving up an unearned run on a hit and a walk in two-thirds of an inning. He struck out two.
The right-hander did his job, fanning J.D. Martinez and Mark Vientos before coaxing a flyball from Jeff McNeil down the right-field line for what should have been the third out, but Ramon Laureano over-ran it and let it fall in for a single, allowing the automatic runner to score from second base. Johnson has been charged with an earned run in only one of his last 11 appearances, posting a 0.82 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 14:3 K:BB through 11 innings over that stretch while picking up two holds and a win. A.J. Minter's return from the IL has squeezed Johnson out of consistent setup work, but he remains one of Atlanta's most effective bullpen arms.
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Braves' Pierce Johnson: Notches eighth hold
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Johnson gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless seventh inning Sunday to record his eighth hold of the season in a win over the Yankees.
The right-hander has been sharp in June, getting scored upon only once in eight appearances with a 3.12 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 10:2 K:BB in 8.2 innings. Johnson is quickly closing in on the career-high 12 holds he collected in 2023 as part of Atlanta's high-leverage bridge to closer Raisel Iglesias.
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Braves' Pierce Johnson: Reinstated from IL
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Atlanta reinstated Johnson (elbow) from the 15-day injured list Saturday.
Right elbow inflammation forced Johnson onto the injured list May 4, and he'll now return to Atlanta's bullpen following a minimum-length stay. The 33-year-old righty sports a 3.00 ERA and 1.25 WHIP through 12 innings this season, and he figures to see plenty of action during Atlanta's stretch of 17 consecutive games without a day off. Jackson Stephens was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett in a corresponding move.
Johnson (elbow) is expected to be reinstated from the 15-day IL on Saturday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
After throwing a live bullpen session Wednesday, Johnson was expected to be activated prior to Friday's series opener against the Padres. However, he'll get one more day for recovery before rejoining the active roster Saturday. Friday's contest is the first of 17 straight for Atlanta, so Johnson's likely to see plenty of opportunities once available.
