Baltimore Orioles The
Baltimore Orioles drafted Johnson in the fifth round (143rd overall) of the
2001 MLB draft. He made his major league debut on July 29, 2006, against the
Chicago White Sox, allowing eight earned runs in three innings for the loss. In 2007, he again only made one Major League appearance. Pitching middle and late
relief, he ran up 18 consecutive scoreless innings before giving up a 10th inning run to
Oakland on May 5. He became the interim
closer when
George Sherrill went on the disabled list on August 19, 2008. Johnson finished the season 2–4 with one save and a 2.23 ERA in 54 games. He finished with 10 saves, but his ERA rose higher, finishing at 4.11 in 70 innings of relief. On January 16, 2012, Johnson signed a one-year deal worth $2.625 million, avoiding arbitration. He won the
Delivery Man of the Month Award for May 2012. On July 1, 2012, Johnson was one of three Orioles selected to play in the
2012 All Star Game. On September 21, 2012, Johnson set the Orioles' all-time single season save record at 46, passing
Randy Myers. Johnson recorded his 50th save of the season on September 30 during a victory over the
Boston Red Sox. With the win, Baltimore clinched a postseason berth, and Johnson became the 10th pitcher in MLB history to record 50 saves or more. He finished the season with 51 saves. Johnson had a mediocre postseason debut through four games in the
2012 American League Division Series against the
New York Yankees. Johnson struggled in Game 1 of the series at
Camden Yards, entering in the ninth inning of a 2–2 game and surrendering five runs (four earned) in only of an inning. The Yankees won, 7–2. He gained redemption in Game 2, pitching a perfect ninth inning to preserve a 3–2 advantage, striking out
Alex Rodriguez on a 3–2 count to end the game. Johnson pitched again in Game 3 in the
Bronx and surrendered a game-tying home run to
Raúl Ibañez with one out in the ninth inning. (Ibañez would also win the game on a homer in the 12th off of
Brian Matusz.) Johnson earned a successful save in game four, working a scoreless 13th inning. Johnson recorded his 100th career save against the New York Yankees on June 30, 2013.
Oakland Athletics On December 2, 2013, Johnson was traded to the
Oakland Athletics for infielder
Jemile Weeks and a
player to be named later, identified as
David Freitas on December 12. The deal was considered to be a salary dump by the Orioles, since Johnson was projected to make $10.8 million in baseball
arbitration, according to MLB Trade Rumors. His 2014 salary wound up being $10 million. Johnson's first season with the A's began poorly, as he earned a blown save and two losses in his first two appearances with the club. After five appearances and an ERA of 18.90, Johnson was pulled from the closer role on April 11, in favor of fellow relievers such as
Luke Gregerson and
Sean Doolittle. Johnson was designated for assignment on July 24, and released by the club on August 1. In 38 games with Oakland, he was 4–2 with two saves and a 7.14 ERA.
Detroit Tigers On August 5, 2014, Johnson signed a minor-league contract with the
Detroit Tigers. On August 16, the Tigers called up Johnson to the main roster. To make room on the 25-man roster, the Tigers optioned
Melvin Mercedes back to Triple-A Toledo, and to make room on the 40-man roster, the Tigers designated
Kevin Whelan for assignment. Johnson made his debut for the Tigers on August 17 against the
Seattle Mariners, coming in to pitch the sixth inning and allowing two hits, three runs, one walk, and one strikeout in innings. In 16 games with the Tigers, he was 1–0 with a 6.92 ERA. Johnson, who had been the set-up man for most of the year, was called on to be the closer after
Jason Grilli was injured on July 11, two days before the
All-Star break. In 49 games, he was 2–3 with nine saves and a 2.25 ERA. He struggled with the Dodgers, going 0–3 while allowing 22 runs in innings (10.13 ERA). He did not make the postseason roster and the Dodgers designated him for assignment on October 14, 2015.
Atlanta Braves (second stint) On November 30, 2015, Johnson signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal to return to the Braves. For the final week of July 2016, Johnson earned NL Player of the Week honors. He finished the 2016 season with a 2–6 record, 20 saves and 3.06 ERA, his lowest since 2013, in 65 games. He struggled the following season with the Braves, going 6–5 with 22 saves and a 5.56 ERA.
Los Angeles Angels On November 30, 2017, the Braves traded Johnson and $1.21 million in international bonus signing cash to the
Los Angeles Angels in return for minor league pitcher Justin Kelly. In his first season with the Angels, Johnson appeared in 62 games, going 5–3 with two saves while registering an ERA of 3.84 in innings. He elected free agency on October 29, 2018. ==Pitching style==