Mets Trade For Johnson To Bolster The Bench

Last season, the Mets started revamping their lineup when they acquired Kelly Johnson from the Atlanta Braves.

Now they are trying to see if lightning strikes twice.

Johnson comes back to the Mets  along with some cash from the Braves for Double-A righthander Akeel Morris. The 34 year-old was batting .215 (26-121) with six doubles, one home run and 10 RBI in 49 games for the Braves this season. He made 23 starts at second base, four in leftfield and one at first base.

With David Wright out until at least August with a herniated disk in his neck and Wilmer Flores taking over third base, Johnson will be needed to fit the utility role vacated by Flores. Both Ty Kelly and Matt Reynolds are proving they are not ready fulfill the bench slots.

Last season, Johnson was very effective hitting.250 (32-128) with six doubles, five home runs and 13 RBI in 49 games for the Mets after the trade with Juan Uribe on July 24. Overall in 2015, Johnson batted .265 (82-310) with 11 doubles, 14 home runs, 47 RBI in 111 games.

Johnson signed with the Braves during the off-season on a one-year, $2 million contract.

Morris had a cup of coffee with the Mets last season and this year the 23 year-old was 2-2 with a 4.62 ERA (13 earned runs/25.1 innings) and six saves for Binghamton (AA) of the Eastern League this season.

About the Author

Joe McDonald

Editor-in-Chief
Joe McDonald is the founder and former publisher of NY Sports Day. After selling to i15Media in 2020, he serves as the Editor-in-Chief and responsible for the editorial side of the publication. In the past, Joe was the managing editor of NY Sportscene magazine and assistant editor of Mets Inside Pitch. He has covered the Mets since 2004.

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