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Miami Marlins Prospect Osiris Johnson to Miss Most of 2019

By Kevin Kraczkowski

MIAMI, FL - MARCH 28: A detailed view of the Opening Day first base mound used in the game between the Miami Marlins and the Colorado Rockies during Opening Day at Marlins Park on March 28, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - MARCH 28: A detailed view of the Opening Day first base mound used in the game between the Miami Marlins and the Colorado Rockies during Opening Day at Marlins Park on March 28, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /
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Osiris Johnson, who was chosen in the second round of the 2018 draft by the Miami Marlins, will now miss five-to-six months with a stress fracture in his tibia.

Johnson, a shortstop taken 53rd overall out of Encinal High School, signed with the Miami Marlins for a $1,350,000 bonus. Still just 18-years-old, Johnson was enjoying a good spring training in the Marlins minor league complex and was slated to join the Clinton LumberKings for the 2019 campaign.

As initially reported by Joe Frisaro of MLB.COM, Johnson underwent surgery to address the issue.

"Johnson has a tremendous toolbox to work with and they were sharpening as the spring wore on. The right-handed hitter struggled as a freshman but improved markedly in subsequent years, showing the ability to impact the baseball consistently. The better he’s gotten at getting the barrel to the ball, the more his raw power is showing up in games, and he was clearing fences a lot more as the Draft approached. At one point, it seemed like Johnson might need to move to an outfield corner, but his defense has improved to the point where he should be able to remain on the dirt, perhaps even at shortstop, with moves to third or second a possibility as well. – MLB Pipeline"

Johnson is the cousin of former Major Leaguer Jimmy Rollins, of Philadelphia Phillies fame. In 25 games at the rookie level after the draft, he hit .301/.333/.447 with 11 extra base hits and 13 RBI. Pushed up to the middle-A Greensboro Grasshoppers late in the season, he slashed a more subdued .188/.205/.294 in 23 games.

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During this past offseason, I had projected Johnson to get to the Miami Marlins sometime in 2022 or 2023, and that projection remains mostly unchanged, but it’s more likely the later of those two dates at this point.

Johnson’s job, at this point, is to work hard in rehab. He’s still so young that it wouldn’t surprise me to see him exceed expectations and get back early.

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