Johnson's first start back for Triple-A Pawtucket was described as "tentative" by Red Sox manager John Farrell, Julian Benbow of the Boston Globe reports. The left-hander allowed four runs on six hits and four walks last Sunday in his return to Pawtucket after four starts at the lower levels of the organization.
"Where his games in Lowell, there might've been a little bit more freedom to the stuff, the attack of the strike zone, I think the ball-strike ratio kind of reflected the tentativeness - and the walks that were issued. First start back, a step in the right direction, but still he's got some work to do," said Farrell. Johnson will continue to work his way back from a two-month layoff to treat an anxiety issue and at this point is not ready to be a helpful piece for Boston.