The Pittsburgh Pirates took a top infield prospect and former first-round draft pick out of consideration to make their Opening Day roster. No, not Konnor Griffin.
Pittsburgh reassigned eight players to their minor league camp on Thursday, leaving 46 players with the big league squad. Termarr Johnson headlines the list of players exiting spring training.
The Pirates drafted Johnson out of high school with the No. 4 pick of the 2022 draft. MLB.com’s No. 26 prospect to start the 2023 season has slid out of this preseason’s top-100 rankings.
Johnson has batted .250/.381/.398 with 43 home runs and 58 stolen bases over 371 career minor league games. The second baseman submitted a modest .745 OPS at Double-A last season, hitting nine home runs in 119 games at Altoona.
The 5-foot-7 Johnson has continued to demonstrate a keen batting eye, drawing walks on 16.4 percent of his minor league plate appearances. He showed those same skills this spring, reaching base in 12 of his 24 plate appearances with seven hits and five walks.
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Despite the strong spring, Johnson was never a feasible candidate to make the Opening Day roster. He may no longer be the most hyped prospect in an enticing farm system led by Griffin, Edward Florentino and 2025 first-round pick Seth Hernandez, but the 21-year-old also has plenty of time to establish himself as an important piece to Pittsburgh’s future.
The Pirates also reassigned catcher Derek Berg, infielders Nick Cimillo, Duce Gourson and Davis Wendzel, outfielder Ronny Simon, and pitchers Nick Dombkowski and Oddanier Mosqueda.
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