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| Kelly Johnson has passed his physical, and is officially a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. |
Our View: His deal is for one-year and $2.35 million, though the D-Backs will control his rights in 2011 as an arbitration eligible player. The team is hoping the career .264-hitter can bounce back from a .224 average in Atlanta in 2009.
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| Kelly Johnson will take a physical with the Diamondbacks on Tuesay, according to Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. If he passes, his one-year, $2 million deal becomes official. |
Our View: He will be Arizona's second baseman in 2010. In 106 games for the Braves in 2009, he hit just .224. At age 27, he is a career .264 hitter, however.
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| According to the Arizona Republic, the Diamondbacks and second baseman Kelly Johnson are reportedly close to an agreement. |
Our View: The D-Backs made a one-year, $2 million offer about a week ago and it looks like Johnson is ready to commit. The former Brave lost his job to Martin Prado last season. He spent time on the DL and hit just .224/.303/.389 overall, but should get regular at-bats with Arizona. They can also keep him for 2011 as an arbitration eligible player.
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| The Diamondbacks are waiting to hear back from Kelly Johnson, according to MLBblogs.com. |
Our View: The club made the second baseman an offer, and have around $3MM left to spend. Arizona has liked Johnson for a long time, and could move Tony Abreu into a utility role if they sign him to cover second.
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| The Diamondbacks have made an offer to Kelly Johnson that is believed to be one-year for $2 million, according to the Arizona Republic. |
Our View: A few other teams have shown interest in Johnson, so expect him to sit on the offer for now and wait to see if a better one comes his way.
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| The Diamondbacks are believed to be interested in Kelly Johnson, according to the Arizona Republic. |
Our View: The Braves non-tendered Johnson, who is merely average defensively. The source believes that the Diamondbacks would be compelled to trade Augie Ojeda if they sign Johnson. The Pirates, Astros and Cardinals are also rumored to have the middle infielder on their radar.
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| After being unable to find a trade partner, the Braves decided to non-tender Johnson on Saturday, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Johnson will take his services elsewhere, and should find a suitor before long. He's a natural second baseman who also has the ability to play in the outfield, and he could be given at least a chance to win a starting gig somewhere.
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| The Braves are trying to deal Kelly Johnson before midnight tonight, according to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal. |
Our View: If they don't find a trade partner, they'll opt to non-tender him, at which point he'll become a free agent. Johnson struggled last year and lost his job at second base to Martin Prado but still would seem to have the talent to at least compete for a starting gig somewhere else.
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| Kelly Johnson blasted a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the 10th inning of a 0-0 game with the Dodgers for a dramatic victory that ended with a 2-1 Braves win. |
Our View: Johnson hasn't seen much action since losing his every day job to Martin Prado. He has only started one game this month and has little to no fantasy value now that it is uncertain when he'll get into a game.
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| MLB.com reports that Kelly Johnson has completed his Triple-A rehab stint and has been recalled by the Braves for Thursday's series finale against the Giants. |
Our View: Johnson performed well while in the minors (.308 with 16 RBI in 12 games), but the Braves might not have a place to put him. With the emergence of Martin Prado, who is hitting .393 since becoming an everyday player on June 30th, Johnson is expendable. The Braves could continue to try and package him in a deadline deal or simply use him as a utility/role player off the bench. Unless Johnson ends up with another team and lands a starting role, his fantasy value is nearly nonexistent.
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| MLB.com is reporting that Braves' second baseman Kelly Johnson is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett in the next couple of days. Atlanta placed Johnson on the DL last Friday with right wrist tendinitis. |
Our View: This seems like a pretty quick turnaround, but Johnson must be feeling better. He will probably log several starts in the minors before he returns, which is expected to be after the All-Star break. He could be a player to watch in the second half, but right now he has no fantasy value.
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| According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Braves have placed second baseman Kelly Johnson on the 15-day DL with right wrist tendinitis. The team also recalled Brooks Conrad from Triple-A Gwinnett to fill the roster spot. |
Our View: Johnson has been a major disappointment for the Braves this season, so they may be better off without him. He is hitting only .214 on the year, and any fantasy value he had in the past is gone now. If you still have him on your team for any reason, now is the time to get rid of him.
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| Kelly Johnson exited Monday's battle with the Cubs with bilateral leg cramps, according to the Sports Network. |
Our View: Martin Prado replaced him at second base. Consider Johnson day-to-day until the Braves update his status.
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| Kelly Johnson went 1-for-5 with an RBI double in Saturday's 3-2 loss at Arizona. |
Our View: Johnson has a three-game hitting streak, with seven total bases over the span. He is hitting .282 this month after only hitting .203 in April.
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| Kelly Johnson was 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in the Braves' 10-2 win over the Blue Jays on Sunday. |
Our View: Johnson has five homers and 15 RBI to go with his .252 average this season. You can find more impressive numbers elsewhere in mixed leagues. He's a passable option at second in NL-only formats.
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| Kelly Johnson went 2-for-3 in Saturday's 5-1 loss to the Astros at Turner Field. He hit a single and a double. |
Our View: Johnson was out of the lineup for the previous three games, and it is encouraging to see him have a solid performance in his return. The Braves did not disclose if he was dealing with an injury while out.
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| MLB.com is reporting that Kelly Johnson is not in the lineup Friday for a third straight game. Omar Infante will start at second and lead off. |
Our View: Johnson is not injured as far as anyone knows, so it seems as if he is just being benched by manager Bobby Cox. Keep Johnson out of your lineup until Cox decides to put him back in his.
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| Kelly Johnson was benched again on Wednesday due to a 4-for-38 slump, according to MLB.com. Omar Infante started in his place. |
Our View: Johnson started the season with a .333 average through eight games, but he has fallen off since then. Infante has hit well in spot duty, but Johnson still figures to reclaim his job soon.
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| According to MLB.com, second baseman Kelly Johnson's recent struggles landed him on the bench for Tuesday's game. |
Our View: Johnson has only four hits in his last 11 games and has seen his average fall to .203 on the season. This is likely just a one-game breather for him, but fantasy owners still need to be concerned with his recent lack of production.
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| Kelly Johnson continued his April power surge on Tuesday as his third home run represented the Braves only run in their 5-1 loss to the Marlins. It was his only hit of the afternoon. |
Our View: Johnson tends to be a very streaky hitter, and he's not necessarily known for his power, so we don't expect this surge to last too long. Still, if you've got him, you might as well play him while he's rolling.
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| Kelly Johnson was 3-for-4 with three RBI and hit his second home run of the season in the Braves 5-3 win over Washington on Saturday. |
Our View: This was a nice game out of the second sacker and he has produced just fine for fantasy leagues so far this season with two double, two home runs and six RBI in five games.
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| Kelly Johnson hit a two-run home run in the first inning Tuesday to pace the Braves to a 4-0 win at Philadelphia. |
Our View: Johnson finished the win 2-for-5 with a run scored. Johnson has proven worthy of the leadoff spot in Atlanta at times, and his power is nice at the top, but he needs to be more consistent and raise his career .355 OBP.
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| It was a nice day for Braves second baseman Kelly Johnson in the team's 7-5 loss to Toronto on Thursday. Johnson had three at-bats and picked up three hits. |
Our View: Johnson also scored two runs. He has struggled this spring, but Thursday's performance ramped his average up to .283. He's a solid but unspectacular option at second in mixed leagues.
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| Kelly Johnson went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's 7-4 win over the Astros in the Grapefruit League. Both of his knocks were singles. |
Our View: Johnson tends to be a feast or famine player, as he batted better than .350 in two months last season, but hit under .250 in four months. That said, he's still a decent mixed-league option due to his ability to hit double-digit homers and swipe double-digit bags.
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| Second baseman Kelly Johnson drove in a run and scored another pair in Atlanta's 11-2 romp of the Panama national team Tuesday afternoon. |
Our View: The 27-year-old Johnson, coming off a career-high 69 RBI a season ago, figures to be a highly rated fantasy second baseman in 2009.
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| The Braves have avoided arbitration with Kelly Johnson by inking him to a one-year deal worth $2.825MM, according to the NY Post. Johnson requested $3.3MM in arbitration and the Braves submitted $2.35MM. The deal also includes performance incentives.
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Our View: The Braves were shopping him in the off-season, but he should rank among the top-15 fantasy second basemen for 2009.
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| Fox Sports reports that the Braves were trying to trade Kelly Johnson even before Rafael Furcal was all but signed. Potential suitors include the Cardinals and Brewers, but the Brewers had no interest. |
Our View: Johnson went on a tear in September and was able to raise his average to .287. Several teams have apparently inquired about his availability and it still appears that the Braves will move either Johnson or Escobar by Spring Training.
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| There are several teams interested in acquiring Braves' second baseman Kelly Johnson, according to FOX Sports. |
Our View: Atlanta is getting serious interest from around 10 clubs, including Arizona and St. Louis. It was previously speculated that Johnson could be dealt to the Cardinals in exchange for Ryan Ludwick.
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| Kelly Johnson went 0-for-2 against the Astros on Friday, snapping his 22-game hitting streak. He hit .402 during the span of the streak. |
Our View: Johnson ranks second among National League second basemen in average (.285) and doubles (39), third in extra-base hits (57, including 16 homers) and fifth in RBIs (68).
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| The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Kelly Johnson is finishing the season on a torrid pace, batting .402 with 18 RBIs during a 22-game hitting streak that’s the longest in the National League this season. "I feel the best I’ve ever felt now,” said Johnson, who enters the opener of a season-ending series with the Astros Friday ranked second among National League second basemen in average (.285) and doubles (39), third in extra-base hits (57, including 16 homers) and fifth in RBIs (68).
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Our View: During the hitting streak, Johnson has 15 extra-base hits including three triples and three home runs, and 10 multi-hit games, including two during this week’s series win at Philadelphia. After batting only .266 with a .335 on-base percentage and .416 slugging percentage in 111 games through Aug. 14, he has hit .343 with a .388 OBP and .540 slugging mark in his past 36 games.
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| Kelly Johnson ran his hitting streak to 21 games Tuesday, as he was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in a 3-2 win over Philadelphia. He also stole a base. |
Our View: Johnson is batting .415 this month and was able to extend his hitting streak against a tough lefty in Cole Hamels.
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| Kelly Johnson pushed his hitting streak to 20-games on Monday, the longest in the National League this season thanks to his 2-for-4 effort. |
Our View: One of the hits tonight was his 12th home run, and he has gone deep three times while hitting .410 during the hitting streak .Johnson continues to power the Braves' offense while Chipper Jones is on the sidelines because of his sore right shoulder.
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| Kelly Johnson only had a single hit on Sunday in five AB, but it was still enough to extend his hitting streak to 19 games. |
Our View: Johnson is hitting .405 with 14 runs scored and 15 RBI during the streak as he has boosted his totals (.283-11-65-81-10) to the point that they almost identically reflect his work from last season (.276-91-16-68-9). He is a solid top-12 second baseman heading into next season.
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| Kelly Johnson enters Monday's game with Mets riding a 13-game hitting streak during which time he is hitting .470 (24-for-51), according to the Braves Official Website. "It's just one of those things, you know?" Johnson said. "You can't describe it, you try not to think, you try not to describe it." |
Our View: The hot streak has pushed Johnson's average up to .283 and has reestablished him in the every day lineup after he was losing some at-bats to the likes of Martin Prado. Johnson doesn't have the name of the stars of the position, but he has produced with 62 RBI, 77 runs and 10 SB this season.
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| Kelly Johnson hit two home runs on Wednesday night, the third multi home run game of his career. |
Our View: Both the blasts were solo but it matters little since Johnson is nearly as hot as the planet Mercury in September as he is 18-for-37 good enough for a .486 batting average. Toss in 12 RBI in those nine games and you have one of the hottest bats in the game.
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| Kelly Johnson kept his hot streak going on Saturday against the Nationals. He had two hits and two RBI while batting number two in the order. |
Our View: He's 14-for-26 with 10 RBI in September and it's safe to put him in your lineups now that he has returned to the top of the order.
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| Kelly Johnson continued his hot September with three more hits on Friday night. He recorded two runs and two RBI. In five September games, he is hitting .571 with six runs and eight RBI. |
Our View: Get 'em while he's hot. Johnson is a good hitter but has had a very average year. In May, he hit .355 but has not hit over .250 in any other month. With a healthy Chipper Jones and Brian McCann behind him, he should finish out the year on a strong note.
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| Kelly Johnson had two hits in four at bats on Thursday out of the second hole in the order for the Braves. |
Our View: The Braves are in a bit of a quandary. Johnson has eight hits in his last three starts while Martin Prado has nine in his last five. With the return to the lineup of Chipper Jones and Casey Kotchman, either Johnson or Prado will likely be out of the lineup on most nights.
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| Kelly Johnson went 2-for-3 with two RBI in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Marlins. He hit a single and a triple, his fourth of the season. |
Our View: Johnson has been quiet for most of the season, but perhaps he is going to make some noise in the closing weeks of the regular season, as he racked up six hits over his last two games, and registered multiple hits in three of his last five outings.
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| Kelly Johnson and the Braves combined with the Marlins to score 30 runs and accumulate 36 hits in the Braves 16-14 win. Johnson had four of those hits and drove in four of the runs. |
Our View: Just when you thought he was slumping, he explodes. Maybe he will continue on the upswing, but his limited numbers make it hard to justify keeping him on fantasy rosters.
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| Kelly Johnson continued his funk in the Braves 8-4 loss to the Nationals by going 0-for-4 with a strikeout. |
Our View: Johnson is now hitting .231 since July 1, and fantasy owners would be better served by trying to find someone else at this point.
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| Second baseman Kelly Johnson did his part to contribute to the Braves 8-0 loss by going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts against the Cubs. |
Our View: Johnson is having a decent August, but his high volume of strikeouts should be concerning to fantasy owners. He has struck out in 38% of his at-bats this month.
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| The Braves put the hurt on San Francisco out west this evening, pulling away with an 11-4 victory. The top man in the Braves' effort was second baseman Kelly Johnson , going 3-for-3 at the dish with his 28th double of the season to total one RBI and three runs scored on the night. |
Our View: Johnson hit just .224 last month with two home runs and eight RBIs. However, over his last four games, he's 9-for-15 at the dish, hoping to improve moving forward.
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| Kelly Johnson went 2-for-4 with an RBI in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Brewers. |
Our View: He registered two hits in three of his last four games, and is worth starting while he is hot.
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| Braves second baseman Kelly Johnson went 2-for-4 and scored two runs in Atlanta's 9-4 win over the Cardinals. |
Our View: Johnson wound up hitting .224 in the month of July. He has solid fantasy value with nine home runs, nine stolen bases and 43 RBI, but a hot streak to raise that batting average would be nice.
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| Kelly Johnson went 1-for-4 and blasted a two-run homer in Friday's 6-2 win over the Astros at home. |
Our View: That was only his eighth homer of the season, and his first since June 14, snapping a 16-game drought.
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| Kelly Johnson came through big in the three-hole for the Braves on Wednesday. The second baseman went 2-for-4 with three of the team's four RBI. |
Our View: Johnson is 10-for-24 over his past seven games. He won't stick around the third spot in the order very long, though. Chipper Jones could be back to DH this weekend.
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| Kelly Johnson has a good track record against Dave Bush, tonight's opposing hurler for Milwaukee, according to MLB.com. Johnson is 3-for-6 with a pair of homers over his career versus Bush. |
Our View: Johnson is riding a six-game hitting streak, with three doubles over the span. Start him if you have him tonight.
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| Kelly Johnson had two hits, two RBI and his fifth stolen base of the season for the Braves on Thursday. |
Our View: Johnson is pushing .300 with his average (.294), and seems ideally suited to the second spot in the order where he hit today. It remains to be seen if Yunel Escobar will remain in the leadoff spot, but the duo should make a combo at the top of the order.
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| Kelly Johnson was 1-for-4 on Monday, a sixth-inning single, that extended his hitting streak to 12 games. |
Our View: Since the team moved Johnson out of the leadoff spot, he has been a much more aggressive hitter. The Braves second baseman has 25 runs, 22 RBI, four stolen bases to go along with five home runs and he's hitting .297 on the season.
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| Kelly Johnson hit a double and two singles on Thursday night to finish the night with a .299 batting average. |
Our View: Johnson has been hotter than Sofia Vergara when hitting out of the seventh or eighth holes in the order this season going 12-for-23 (thats .552 folks). Who needs that leadoff spot when your hitting like that lower in the order?
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| The Braves dropped Kelly Johnson from first to seventh in the batting order on Tuesday. Yunel Escobar and Mark Kotsay are now hitting in the top two spots. "Kotsay's been hot, and Escobar's hitting over .300 with an on-base percentage around .400," manager Bobby Cox explains to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "And I think it will give Kelly a chance to drive in some runs down in the order." |
Our View: This move has been talked about for a while in the Atlanta media, and it shouldn't shock anyone. Johnson has been struggling lately, and hopefully he can produce in less of a pressure-packed spot in the lineup.
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| After hitting a pair of doubles on Saturday, Kelly Johnson added three more two-baggers on Sunday. He went 4-for-6 with two runs and two RBI against the Reds. |
Our View: Johnson has dealt with a couple injuries through the first month-plus of the season, but we expect him to be a solid fantasy second baseman when healthy.
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| Kelly Johnson, who has missed the last two games due to lower back soreness, is back in the starting lineup Friday against the Reds and Edinson Volquez. |
Our View: Johnson is hitting .241 with 14 runs scored, 12 RBI and three stolen bases in 23 games.
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| Kelly Johnson will not be in the Braves lineup on Wednesday due to lower back soreness, according to the AP. Gregor Blanco will take over the leadoff spot with Ruben Gotay batting eighth and playing second base. |
Our View: This doesn't seem like a DL type injury for Johnson, so wait on further updates before you go scrambling to the waiver-wire.
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| Kelly Johnson hit a two-run homer, recorded four RBI in the process and helped the Braves to a 6-3 win over the Mets on Friday night. |
Our View: Johnson continues to prove his worth. The starting second baseman, who hit is fourth April home run, also has 11 RBI and 13 runs this month.
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| Kelly Johnson was back in the starting lineup on Sunday, just in time to face Johan Santana. He jumped back to the leadoff spot and went 1-for-4. Johnson has missed time due to a sore left knee. "The last two days it went from jogging — [and] I didn't think I could run much more than that — to the next day being able to run," he explains to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Johnson dealt with pain in the knee last year, too. He will not need surgery but will have to treat it regularly. |
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| Kelly Johnson was unable to start on Saturday because of his injured knee, but he entered the game as a pinch hitter and promptly broke open a close game with a pinch-hit grand slam against Jorge Sosa of the Mets. Who needs to start to be effective? Johnson hopes to be back in the starting lineup on Sunday and it appears that his stick is certainly ready. |
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| Kelly Johnson is not listed as a starter for Friday's game against the Mets, according to the New York Post. He has been out due to right knee soreness. Johnson could catch a break, though, as forecasts indicate the game may be rained out. Martin Prado is starting in his place. |
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| Kelly Johnson could be back in the lineup on Friday. He left Wednesday's contest due to lingering soreness in his right knee and did not play on Thursday. "Hopefully he'll be ready for tomorrow," manager Bobby Cox tells the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday. Martin Prado has started in his place. |
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| Kelly Johnson is growing frustrated by pain in his right knee that won't go away. He's missed the past two games with the ailment and admitted that he's had discomfort in the knee for more than a year, according to MLB.com. Johnson hopes to avoid the DL but concedes that it is a possibility. "I don't want to [go on the disabled list]," Johnson said. "I'd love to completely avoid it. But you'd rather miss a handful of games now instead of constantly missing games here and there throughout season. Maybe the answer is rest. But I had a lot of rest when the [2007] season ended." Johnson had an MRI on the knee in January and again on Tuesday. Both times no structural damage was found, but the second baseman says the pain "feels like a knife in my knee." Manager Bobby Cox indicated that he might be able to put Johnson back in the lineup Friday, otherwise he'll once again go with Martin Prado. |
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| Kelly Johnson was forced to miss the Braves game on Wednesday because of a strained right knee, though feels he will miss little time and be back in the lineup soon, a sentiment echoed by manager Booby Cox, this according to MLB.com. "We'll give him a day off and see if we can get it to calm down." Martin Prado will likely start in Johnson's absence, though it sounds like he won't miss too much time. |
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| Kelly Johnson left Monday night's game against the Pirates after aggravating a right knee strain. Johnson was nursing the same knee in the last week of spring training.
Johnson exited at the beginning of the fourth inning, and Martin Prado replaced him at second base. The Braves announced his status as day-to-day.
Before exiting, Johnson singled and scored during a three-run third inning.
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| Kelly Johnson was held out of the Braves lineup on Monday, this according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Backup infielder Martin Prado started at second base again today in place of Johnson, who has a slightly sore knee from playing so much on the hard fields of Florida “I’m just resting Kelly,” Cox said. “He’s played a ton. Too much, really.” Johnson's ailment isn't considered serious and he will be the opening day starter barring something radical. |
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| Chipper Jones drove in Atlanta's only run when he doubled down the left-field line to drive in Kelly Johnson in the sixth inning. Johnson was 1-for-3 on the day and is hitting .217 on the spring. The Braves second baseman continues to look more comfortable at the plate with each passing work day and with opening day approaching, his timing couldn't be better. |
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| Kelly Johnson had another tough day at the plate against the Astros on Wednesday as he went 0-for-3 with one strikeout. His average dipped to .237 and the Braves' have to be displeased with their starting second baseman's production so far this spring. |
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| Kelly Johnson will hit leadoff during the Braves game against the University of Georgia Wednesday, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Johnson is battling Yunel Escobar, who will hit second Wednesday, for the leadoff job. Manager Bobby Cox remains uncertain if he will choose one as his regular leadoff option or if the two will split the work in a platoon, as Johnson's a left-handed hitter and Escobar a right-handed swinger. |
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| Kelly Johnson is feeling much more comfortable in camp this year, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Last February, he was saddled with learning a new position and was coming off a lost season. Johnson's numbers trailed off late in 2007, but he deserves a lot of credit for overcoming injuries and making a transition to the middle infield. If he bats at the top of the order again, Johnson could improve on his digits in 2008. |
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| Kelly Johnson had been better than expected defensively this year at second after making the move from the outfield, but there's a chance he may make another position switch next year. Edgar Renteria is under contract next season (though his name has been mentioned in trade rumors) and the Braves would like to get Yunel Escobar in the lineup every day. Johnson would like to remain at second, but he'll do whatever the team wants him to do. "I have no idea [what their plans are]," said Johnson in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I would love to stay [at second]. I feel like I'm only going to get better the more games I play and the more I get to know myself out there. But the way I am, it's not about what's best for me personally. It's what I can do to help the team, whether it's going to to the outfield or even learning another new position altogether." |
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| Kelly Johnson spoke out on Monday about his platoon role, which has been in place for a few weeks. "You don't think about anything, you just play and do the best you can," he tells the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "[If you don't], you're begging to be inconsistent." Johnson has been starting against right-handed pitchers, and Yunel Escobar is used against lefties. |
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| Braves infielder Yunel Escobar started over Kelly Johnson for the third time in four games on Wednesday. Manager Bobby Cox hasn't called it a platoon situation, but it seems close. "I don't know what I'm looking at," Cox tells the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Kelly hits left-handers as good as anyone, but we've got to find some at-bats for Escobar." |
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| Kelly Johnson missed Saturday's game due to a sinus and throat infection. He was able to take batting practice, though, and said the sickness is not serious, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Despite being under the weather much of last week, Johnson still was 8-for-15 over his previous three games. He's day-to-day at this point. |
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| Kelly Johnson continued his hot hitting Sunday, belting a pair of homers and a single while scoring three runs and driving in four. Johnson started the season off slowly but is hitting .542 (13-for-24) over his last six games to push his average up to .297. |
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| Kelly Johnson is starting at second base, as expected, and leading off for the Braves Monday. Johnson hit .254 with a pair of homers this spring, though he also walked 10 times in 73 plate appearances. |
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| Kelly Johnson appears to have cemented his standing as the Braves' starting second baseman, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Johnson has been trying to convert from the outfield to second base. "Kelly hasn't done a thing wrong," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "Everything's been just fine. He looks like an experienced [second baseman]." |
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| Kelly Johnson, who is the favorite to come away with the starting second base job this spring, handled four defensive chances flawlessly on Thursday against the Dodgers. He's playing second for the first time in his career, converting from the outfield. He went 1-for-1 and batted leadoff in the game. |
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| Although there will be plenty of competition in spring training, the Braves hope that Kelly Johnson will play well enough to earn the starting job at second base, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "It's open," Braves general manager John Schuerholz said of second base, "but he's regarded as the prime candidate." Johnson, who missed all of last season following Tommy John surgery, is making the switch from the outfield to second base this spring. |
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| USATODAY.com reports that Kelly Johnson and Martin Prado will compete for the second base job of the Braves next season. Other reports have Willy Aybar in the mix, as well. Johnson, who missed all of last season following Tommy John surgery, has never played second base as a professional but began his career as a shortstop. |
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