The Reds announced that they have selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Ivan Johnson. He’ll take the active roster spot of outfielder Dane Myers, who has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder contusion. The 40-man roster had a vacancy so no corresponding move is required in that department. The Reds also activated right-hander Emilio Pagán from the 15-day IL and optioned righty Zach McCambley. MLBTR covered Pagán’s impending activation yesterday.
Myers suffered his injury in last night’s game. As seen in this clip from Baseball Savant, he runs down a ball off the bat of Andrew Vaughn, making the catch but slamming into the wall at a high speed. He was removed from the game after that, getting carted off the field. Per Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer, X-rays were negative but he was sent to a hospital for further evaluation. The club has not yet provided any updates today but it seems they expect him to need at least ten days to rest.
His injury is obviously unfortunate but it provides an opportunity for Johnson. Now 27, Johnson was a fourth-round pick in the 2019 draft. He was on the prospect radar in the years after that draft selection, with Baseball America having him in the middle area of the club’s top 30 from 2020 to 2022. But Johnson scuffled when he first reached Double-A and fell off the radar.
His bat has picked back up more recently at Triple-A, though with Johnson being a bit old for the level. The switch-hitter has taken 577 plate appearances for Triple-A Louisville dating back to 2024 with a .266/.362/.465 line and 118 wRC+ in that time. He drew walks at a strong 12.3% pace in that span. He struck out in almost 30% of his plate appearances at that level in 2024 and 2025 but has reduced that number to 23.6% here in 2026. He has nine home runs and 11 stolen bases this season. His .290/.388/.489 line on the year translates to a 131 wRC+ but he has gotten some help from a .353 batting average on balls in play.
Defensively, Johnson came up as a middle infielder but he was considered stretched at shortstop and hasn’t played that position since 2022. He has continued to play second base and has been playing all three outfield spots in recent years as well. He also logged eight innings at third base this year.
Without Myers, the Reds have an outfield mix consisting of TJ Friedl, JJ Bleday, Noelvi Marté and Spencer Steer. Johnson can jump into that group while also providing a bit of depth at second base, behind Matt McLain and Edwin Arroyo. Since he has some speed, defensive versatility and hits from both sides of the plate, there are multiple ways he can find his way into the lineup and potentially help the club.
Photo courtesy of Sam Greene, Imagn Images
