The Rays optioned Johnson to Triple-A Durham on Sunday.
Johnson was swapped out for a fresh arm in Jesse Scholtens after making his first eight career MLB appearances in September. While the strikeout punch Johnson showed in the minors carried over to his first stint in the majors, he may need more time back on the farm to begin 2027 before taking on a more permanent role in Tampa Bay.
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Rays' Ty Johnson: Contract selected by Tampa Bay
Rotowire
The Rays selected Johnson's contract from Triple-A Durham on Saturday, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.
The Rays filled the spot in their bullpen vacated by Garrett Cleavinger, who was placed on the 15-day injured list due to left forearm tightness. Johnson has made 21 appearances (10 starts) in Triple-A this season, where he has a 3.03 ERA and 0.97 WHIP over 62.1 innings. His first appearance for the Rays will officially mark his major-league debut.
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Rays' Ty Johnson: Activated from MiLB IL
Rotowire
Johnson (back) was activated from the 7-day injured list May 5.
Johnson made his Triple-A Durham debut Thursday after putting a lower-back strain behind him, and while he didn't work deep into the outing, he had his swing-and-miss stuff working. He allowed three hits and walked one while striking out five over 3.1 scoreless frames.
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Rays' Ty Johnson: Yet to make Triple-A debut
Rotowire
Triple-A Durham placed Johnson on the 7-day injured list due to a lower-back strain, Sam Dykstra of MLB Pipeline reports.
He isn't officially listed on the IL, but Dykstra's reporting coincides with the fact Johnson hasn't made his season debut yet, so we can consider the latter out indefinitely. He is a controversial prospect -- as his minor-league results have been outstanding -- but he's a righty who leans almost exclusively on his fastball and slider, so there are some detractors who believe he fits best in the bullpen long term.
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Rays' Ty Johnson: Bests last year's breakout
Rotowire
Johnson has a 2.66 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 132:36 K:BB in 101.1 innings for Double-A Montgomery.
Johnson has set a carer high in innings this year with time to spare, and he is also on pace to best his ratios from his breakout 2024 season. The big question with the 6-foot-6 righty coming into the year was the quality of his changeup, as he mostly relied on his plus fastball and plus slider a year ago. However, his changeup has kept lefties in check this year (0.97 WHIP, .172 average against), and Johnson is now looking like a future mid-rotation starter. He may get a taste of Triple-A to close out the year and will likely head to Triple-A to begin 2026.
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