Elliot Tyler Johnson (born March 9, 1984) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

utility player. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

, Kansas City Royals,

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...

and

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

Professional career

Tampa Bay Rays

Johnson signed with the

Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home ve ...

as a non-drafted free agent on June 29, 2002, out of

Thatcher High School Thatcher High School is a high school in Thatcher, Arizona. It is the only high school in the Thatcher Unified School District. Its current building opened in 2000. Notable alumni * Elliot Johnson, Current MLB player (Tampa Bay Rays The ...

Thatcher, Arizona Thatcher is a town in Graham County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the town is 4,865. It is part of the Safford Micropolitan Statistical Area. Thatcher is the home of Eastern Arizona College (EAC), ...

and began his professional career with the Princeton Devil Rays rookie level team in

Princeton, West Virginia Princeton, is a city in and the county seat of Mercer County, West Virginia, Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The city is coined the "Heart of Mercer County" or the "Jewel of the South" in past decades. The population was 6,432 at the ...

. In 2005, he played for the

Visalia Oaks Visalia ( ) is a city in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley of California. The population was 141,384 as per the 2020 census. Visalia is the fifth-largest city in the San Joaquin Valley, the 42nd most populous in California, and 192nd in ...

Visalia, California Visalia ( ) is a city in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley of California. The population was 141,384 as per the 2020 census. Visalia is the fifth-largest city in the San Joaquin Valley, the 42nd most populous in California, and 192nd in ...

(A class A minor-league affiliate of the Devil Rays). In the same season, Johnson got promoted to class AA with the

Montgomery Biscuits The Montgomery Biscuits are a Minor League Baseball team based in Montgomery, Alabama. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays and play in the Southern League. The team was founded in Orlando, Florida, in 1973 as the Orlando Twins ...

, then in 2007 moved to the

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened ...

to play with the class AAA minor league affiliate. Johnson made the

opening day roster for the 2008 season. On April 5, 2008, he made his debut against the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

as the team's

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...

. He had four at bats and recorded his first major league hit, a single off of

Andy Pettitte Andrew Eugene Pettitte (; born June 15, 1972) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily for the New York Yankees. He also pitched for the Houston Astros. Pettitte won fiv ...

. He had three hits in 19 at-bats over seven games for the Devil Rays that season before he was sent back down to Durham. He spent the next two seasons in the minors, missing two months in 2009 with a fractured thumb. In 2010, he hit .319 for Durham and was selected to appear in the Triple-A All-Star game. He was also named the Bulls most valuable player. John Romano of ''

St. Petersburg Times The ''Tampa Bay Times'', previously named the ''St. Petersburg Times'' until 2011, is an American newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It has won fourteen Pulitzer Prizes since 1964, and in 2009, won two in a single ...

'' wrote in March 2011 that he was likely one of three players competing for two spots on the Rays bench, with the other two being outfielder

Sam Fuld Samuel Babson Fuld (born November 20, 1981) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and the current general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies. He played eight seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Tampa B ...

and first baseman

Casey Kotchman Casey John Kotchman (born February 22, 1983) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Anaheim Angels / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Seattle Marin ...

. Johnson made the opening day roster, along with Fuld. On May 15, 2011, he hit his first major league home run against Baltimore Orioles pitcher

Jake Arrieta Jacob Joseph Arrieta (born March 6, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, and San Diego Padres. Arrieta played college ...

. On August 12, 2011, he was one of 5 Rays to hit solo home runs off

CC Sabathia Carsten Charles Sabathia Jr. (born July 21, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily with the New York Yankees. He also played for the Cleveland Indians and Milwauk ...

in a 5-1 Tampa Bay victory. Johnson was designated for assignment on February 5, 2013. In part of three seasons with the Devil Rays/Rays, he hit .223 with 10 homers and 50 RBI.

Kansas City Royals

Johnson was acquired by the Kansas City Royals on February 12, 2013, from the Rays as the player to be named later in the James Shields trade. He was designated for assignment on August 15, 2013 and released on August 19. In 79 games, he hit .179.

Atlanta Braves

Johnson was claimed off waivers by the

on August 21, 2013. He played in his first game as a Brave on the same day. In his first four at bats, Johnson singled twice. He hit his first RBI as a Brave three days later on August 25, 2013. After the season, Johnson was non-tendered by the Braves, making him a free agent. In 32 games, he hit .261.

Cleveland Indians

On January 27, 2014, Johnson signed a minor league contract with the

. The contract included an invitation to Major League Spring Training. On March 22, it was announced that Johnson had made the opening day roster, however he was designated for assignment on May 3, after appearing in just seven games with two hits (both doubles) in 19 at-bats. Johnson cleared waivers on May 9, and was sent to the Triple–A Columbus Clippers. He elected free agency in October 2014.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Johnson signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers on February 23, 2015. On March 31, he was traded to the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

in exchange for cash considerations. The Dodgers assigned him to the AAA

Oklahoma City Dodgers The Oklahoma City Dodgers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their home games at Chickasaw Bricktown Ba ...

, where he played in 55 games and had a batting average of .244.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Elliot 1984 births Living people People from Safford, Arizona Baseball players from Arizona Major League Baseball second basemen Tampa Bay Rays players Kansas City Royals players Atlanta Braves players Cleveland Indians players Princeton Devil Rays players Charleston RiverDogs players Visalia Oaks players Montgomery Biscuits players Phoenix Desert Dogs players Durham Bulls players Gulf Coast Rays players Venados de Mazatlán players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Gigantes del Cibao players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Columbus Clippers players Oklahoma City Dodgers players