Former Guardians outfielder has become key player in Astros’ beleaguered outfield

On April 19, the Houston Astros signed former Guardians outfielder Daniel Johnson to a minor league deal to add some minor league outfield depth. 

That minor league stint lasted all of one game before the Astros added Johnson to their big league roster to help combat those depth problems. 

And although Johnson hasn’t had a ton of success at the plate in his time with Astros, he’s provided some stability to Houston’s unstable outfield picture and secured his first signature moment with Houston earlier today when he secured its 11-5 win with a diving catch for the final out. 

Daniel Johnson may have found his new big league home with the Astros 

Johnson’s stint with the Astros marks the third big league team he’s played for since the start of last season along with the Orioles and Giants. That journey started with a 14 game stint with the Giants that was followed by a 17 game tenure with the Orioles (he also played in one game with Baltimore in the 2024 season). 

Johnson ended up hitting just .189 across those 31 games but still found new life in the offseason with the Marlins via a minor league contract that included an invite to big league spring training. 

He didn’t make Miami’s roster out of camp and appeared in just five minor league games with the Marlins before being released, which set up his pact with the Astros.

He appeared in both games of Houston’s doubleheader today (he was a defensive replacement in Game 1) and went 1-for-5 with a walk, steal and strikeout. His single came with two outs in Game 2 of the doubleheader and helped jump-start a five run first inning. 

While Johnson was a highly regarded outfield prospect in the Guardians’ system, he only played in 35 games with Cleveland across 2020 and ‘21 before being traded to the Mets the following season. 

At the time it seemed like that would be it for his big league career, but he got a new lease on life thanks to that one game with Baltimore in ‘24 before seeing more time last season. 

And now he’s at a point where he’s the main beneficiary of Houston being plagued by the injury bug, as the Astros currently have an eye-popping 16 players on the injured list. 

He took the place of outfielder Taylor Trammell, who himself was added to Houston’s roster after Jake Meyers hit the IL. Johnson may be the back up for the back up, but playing time is playing time regardless of the reason for it. 

He’s Houston’s top center field option along with Brice Matthews, but it seems like manager Joe Espada trusts Johnson to be able to handle things in center. 

Johnson’s time on the Astros roster may not be permanent, but it’s still a big league opportunity. That’s all someone in his position can ask for.

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