Inside The Padres

Former Padres Outfielder Signing With NL West Rivals

J.P. Hoornstra|
Jul 18, 2021; Oakland, California, USA; Cleveland Indians right fielder Daniel Johnson (23) walks on the field before the game against the Oakland Athletics at RingCentral Coliseum.
Jul 18, 2021; Oakland, California, USA; Cleveland Indians right fielder Daniel Johnson (23) walks on the field before the game against the Oakland Athletics at RingCentral Coliseum. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

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San Diego Padres

Daniel Johnson, who appeared in four Cactus League games with the San Diego Padres in their 2023 spring training camp, and split that season between Triple-A El Paso and Double-A San Antonio, has signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants according to a new report.

Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday on Twitter/X that Johnson is expected to sign with the Giants on a minor league contract after beginning the 2025 season in Mexico.

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The 29-year-old outfielder has a .429/512/.943 slash line in 10 games with Caliente de Durango of the independent Mexican League.

Johnson signed a minor league contract with the Padres in February 2023 after getting into 35 games with the Cleveland Guardians from 2020-21.

After going 0-for-2 with a strikeout in Cactus League play, Johnson returned to the Padres' minor league camp and put his combination of power and speed on display.

In 98 games with Double-A San Antonio, Johnson slashed .263/.337/.435 with 13 home runs and 21 steals in 27 attempts.

The Vallejo, Calif. native also appeared in 28 games with Triple-A El Paso. He slashed .296/.384/.583 in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, with six home runs and nine stolen bases.

Johnson became a free agent after the season and signed with the Baltimore Orioles. He spent the majority of 2024 with the Orioles' Triple-A affiliate, but also got into one game with Baltimore. He went 0-for-1 and scored a run in his only appearance after entering the game as a pinch runner late in a September game against the Tigers.

In 36 games at the major league level, Johnson has a .200/.242/.333 slash line, with four home runs, five RBIs, one stolen base, five walks, and 32 strikeouts in 90 at-bats.

Now, Johnson will look to return to the majors with San Francisco.

Johnson was originally selected by the Washington Nationals out of New Mexico State University with their fifth-round draft pick in 2016. A left-handed hitter, Johnson spent parts of three seasons in the Nationals organization (2016-18) before he was traded to Cleveland in the deal that sent veteran catcher Yan Gomes to the Nationals.

After he participated in the 2018 Arizona Fall League, Johnson rocketed up the minor league ranks with Cleveland the following year, reaching Triple-A.

Johnson made his major league debut before a cardboard-cutout filled Progressive Field in July 2020. He appeared in five games during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, going 1 for 12 with a walk and five strikeouts.

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J.P. Hoornstra
J.P. HOORNSTRA

J.P. Hoornstra is an On SI Contributor. A veteran of 20 years of sports coverage for daily newspapers in California, J.P. covered MLB, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Los Angeles Angels (occasionally of Anaheim) from 2012-23 for the Southern California News Group. His first book, The 50 Greatest Dodgers Games of All-Time, published in 2015. In 2016, he won an Associated Press Sports Editors award for breaking news coverage. He once recorded a keyboard solo on the same album as two of the original Doors.

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