Angels' Ryan Johnson: Not ruled out for rotation bid
Johnson is in the conversation for a starting spot in the Angels' rotation, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
With Alek Manoah and (to a lesser extent) Grayson Rodriguez struggling this spring, there is some uncertainty at the back end of the Angels' rotation. Should Manoah and/or Rodriguez not be part of the Opening Day starting staff, Johnson is one of several pitchers (including Jack Kochanowicz, George Klassen and Mitch Farris) who could be considered for a rotation role. Johnson got a look in the majors last season and struggled with a 7.36 ERA, 1.98 WHIP and 16:5 K:BB over 14.2 innings across 14 relief appearances, and he ended the campaign in High-A ball. However, he's one of the organization's top prospects and has pitched pretty well this spring, posting a 4.63 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 14:2 K:BB over 11.2 frames. Johnson is still probably a longshot to break camp with the big club, but it's worth noting that he's still in big-league camp with Opening Day just 10 days away.
