Report: Diamondbacks could stick with third baseman Chris Johnson

Diamondbacks third baseman Chris Johnson may have played his way into a role next season.

By Chris Cwik

Sep 23, 2012 at 12:16 pm ET • 1 min read

Diamondbacks third baseman Chris Johnson may have played his way into a role next season, according to azcentral.com’s Nick Piecoro.

General manager Kevin Towers spoke well of Johnson, who was acquired from the Astros at the trade deadline. Since joining the Diamondbacks, Johnson has hit .296/.326/.533 in 145 plate appearances. Towers also made it seem like shortstop would likely be a bigger position of need during the offseason.

If Johnson doesn’t pan out, the Diamondbacks do have other options at third. While rookie Ryan Wheeler hasn’t been great in limited playing time this season, the team has 21-year-old prospect Matt Davidson in Double-A. Davidson has hit .261/.367/.469 in 576 plate appearances this year. He’s made Baseball America’s top-100 prospect list in each of the past two seasons.

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