Seth Johnson Injury News & Updates

Johnson (elbow) was promoted from High-A Aberdeen to Double-A Bowie on Sunday, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

Johnson missed most of this season while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. He's allowed four runs and posted a 10:3 K:BB over 7.1 innings across the lowest three levels of the minors. With Aberdeen's season coming to an end, Johnson will get a few more appearances at Bowie to wrap up the campaign.

Johnson (elbow) began a rehab assignment with the Orioles' Florida Complex League affiliate, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

Johnson was acquired last August as part of a three-team trade and subsequently underwent Tommy John surgery. He hasn't been ruled out for the year, but the right-hander will likely need multiple weeks of rehab appearances before settling in at either High-A Aberdeen or Double-A Bowie to close out the campaign.

Johnson (elbow) will open the year on the 60-day injured list.

He is listed at Triple-A Norfolk, but having never pitched above High-A, Johnson would likely head to High-A or Double-A if he can ramp up before the end of the minor-league season. The hard-throwing righty underwent Tommy John surgery in August of 2022 just after getting traded from the Rays to the Orioles as part of the three-team trade that sent Trey Mancini to Houston and Jose Siri to Tampa Bay. Johnson has late-inning stuff if he needs to move to the bullpen due to durability issues. With the move to the 60-day IL, Johnson doesn't count against Baltimore's 40-man roster.

Johnson (elbow) was optioned Friday to minor-league camp by the Orioles, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Johnson was added to the 40-man roster in November to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. The right-hander was acquired in a three-way trade between the Orioles, Rays and Astros from Tampa Bay in August, and underwent Tommy John surgery a few days later. He likely won't be ready to help the Orioles until the 2024 season.

Johnson (elbow) said Tuesday that he will start his throwing program in mid-January with the goal of pitching in rehab games in the minors in August, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports. "Pretty much I can do everything except for actually throwing a baseball or throwing medicine balls. As far as upper-body lifts, I'm pretty much cleared for all that stuff," Johnson said. "I'm hoping to be able to pitch by next August, maybe in some Complex League games."

The Orioles acquired Johnson in a three-way trade-deadline deal with the Rays and Astros on Aug. 1, even though Baltimore had the knowledge that the right-hander was scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery just two days later. Baltimore might have seen the impending procedure as an advantageous time to buy low on the 24-year-old, who impressed with a 3.00 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 41:11 K:BB in 27 innings over his seven starts at High-A Bowling Green in Tampa Bay's organization this past season before injuring his elbow. Johnson, who was added to the Orioles' 40-man roster earlier this month, appears to have thus far responded well to surgery, but he'll still spend most of the 2023 campaign in rehab mode. Even a small setback during his throwing program would likely prompt the Orioles to shut him down for the 2023 season with the hope of having him at 100 percent for spring training in 2024.

Johnson (elbow) was added to the Orioles' 40-man roster Tuesday.

It's a testament to Johnson's stuff that the Orioles not only traded for him at the deadline in the three-team trade that sent Trey Mancini to Houston and Jose Siri to Tampa Bay while knowing he needed Tommy John surgery, but they will protect him from the Rule 5 draft while he recovers despite the fact he has never pitched above High-A. Given the timing of the surgery and Johnson's lack upper-level work, it will be a small margin of error for him to make it as a big-league starter, but he could be a devastating reliever if his stuff returns to pre-injury form.

Johnson, who is about to undergo Tommy John surgery, was traded from the Rays to the Orioles as part of a three-team trade that sent Jose Siri to Tampa Bay and Trey Mancini to Houston, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Johnson was a very promising pitching prospect prior to suffering a torn UCL. He has premium stuff and logged a 3.00 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 41 strikeouts in 27 innings at High-A this year. Given that he turns 24 in September and might not return to action until the 2024 season, it's possible the Orioles could convert him to a reliever in the coming years to fast-track him to the majors.

High-A Bowling Green placed Johnson on the 7-day injured list Wednesday with right forearm inflammation, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Rays will send Johnson in for further imaging to determine the extent of the forearm injury, but initial X-rays apparently revealed no structural damage to his pitching arm. The 23-year-old has made seven starts for Bowling Green this season, logging a 3.00 ERA while striking out 41 over 27 innings.