Red Sox have solid starting rotation depth to cover for injuries

Brian Johnson

The next spot in on the depth chart is a little more debatable. One could make a case that Roenis Elias could slot in below Wright, but given that Elias has options left and has pitched in all of eight big league innings since 2015, I’m inclined to go with Brian Johnson.

At 27, Johnson’s days as a legitimate prospect are far behind him. He’s your classic depth starter. He throws strikes, doesn’t have great stuff, and posts fairly mediocre results. He had a little bit of success last year at the big league level in 27 innings and had a good year in Triple-A.

That said, his xFIP at both levels was significantly above four and that meshes pretty well with the scouting reports on the southpaw. Johnson’s a pretty good bet to eat some innings and not get shelled most of the time. In a pinch, he’s a serviceable enough starter, but I wouldn’t be too comfortable if he was anywhere higher on the depth chart.

With the current state of the rotation, there’s a good chance we will get another look at Johnson in Boston to start the season. A hot start could move him up the pecking order or even build enough trade value to find himself a spot in the backend of another rotation.