Johnson made his relief debut Tuesday, and while he issued a pair of walks, the 26-year-old touched 98 mph with his fastball. Gelb notes that Philadelphia believes that his fastball/slider combination can play up in the bullpen. The right-hander is already on the 40-man roster, so Johnson could be an option for the Philadelphia bullpen before the 2025 season comes to a close.

Johnson was torched for nine runs over 2 1/3 innings last September in his big-league debut, which unsurprisingly was his lone start for the Phillies. The 26-year-old righty will open the year back at Triple-A as extra starting pitching depth.

Johnson struggled in his MLB debut on Sunday, allowing nine runs on eight hits over 2 1/3 innings against the Marlins. That’s a far cry from the 2.33 ERA and 83:42 K:BB ratio he posted over his 23 appearances in the minors this season, but the 25-year-old will likely remain in the minors for the rest of the year and hope for another chance in 2025. Tyler Gilbert was called up in a corresponding move.

Johnson’s major league debut was one to forget. Connor Norby took him deep in the first inning and the onslaught had commenced. All in all, he allowed seven hard-hit balls and didn’t strike out a batter in his very short day of work. It’s unlikely he gets another turn in the Phillies’ rotation, but if he does it will come next weekend against the Mets.