The Padres have designated outfielder Bryce Johnson for assignment, per a team announcement. Xander Bogaerts is being reinstated from the paternity list. The team’s 40-man roster stands at 39 with the move.
This may conclude Johnson’s second stint with San Diego, which first signed the former Giant to a minor league contract ahead of the 2024 season. He got into 47 games that year and hit just .206/.286/.238 (57 wRC+) with no home runs in 73 trips to the plate. Johnson opened 2025 in the Pirates organization, but the Padres brought him back in a mid-April trade for catcher Brett Sullivan. The move worked out better than expected for the Padres, as the switch-hitting Johnson easily posted career-best numbers. Across 55 games and 84 trips to the plate, he slashed .342/.383/.434. Although he only hit one homer, Johnson managed a 135 wRC+.
Last season’s unexpected outburst has not carried into 2026 for Johnson, one of many players who have slumped for the Padres this year. The Padres will enter Friday last in the majors in runs, all three triple-slash categories and wRC+. Johnson contributed to those woes, as he hit a meager .178/.229/.222 (30 wRC+) and struck out in a bloated 36.7 percent in 49 plate appearances before the Padres cut him.
While Johnson has only made 12 starts this year, he has gotten into 32 games and seen action at all three outfield positions. Johnson’s designation will lead to further instability in the grass for the Padres. They lost Ramón Laureano to what is likely a season-ending hip injury earlier this month, and they released Nick Castellanos a couple of days later. Samad Taylor and Jase Bowen have come up from the minors to join Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill and Gavin Sheets as outfield options. Tatis has gotten more action at second base than in his typical right field over the past month-plus, but that could change. The Padres are expected to give some keystone time to Will Wagner, which would allow Tatis to go back to the outfield, per Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The 30-year-old Johnson will head into DFA limbo for up to a week. The Padres will have five days to find a trade partner for Johnson, which is possible given his above-average speed, defensive versatility and $805K salary. If a taker does not emerge, there is a 48-hour waiver process. Johnson has been outrighted in the past, which gives him the right to decline a minor league assignment in favor of free agency.
