Los Angeles Angels 22-year-old pitcher Ryan Johnson has made the team’s Opening Day roster, ESPN reported Monday.
He becomes the first player since 2020 (Garrett Crochet) to make his MLB debut without spending a single day in the minor leagues.
Johnson was selected with the 74th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of Dallas Baptist. It was a compensatory pick the Angels received from losing Shohei Ohtani.
Johnson had a solid spring training, pitching 11 1/3 innings and allowing five runs, 11 hits and one walk. He had 10 strikeouts.
The young pitcher secured his roster spot after a quality start on Monday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, in which he allowed only one run in two innings, while striking out four. Coincidentally, he kicked off the game by striking out Ohtani.
Johnson’s four-seam fastball reached a peak of 97.0 mph, but he accomplished most of his damage with his cutter, sinker and slider.
Johnson will join an improved Angels bullpen that features flamethrower Ben Joyce, four-time All-Star Kenley Jansen and veteran Robert Stephenson.
The Angels have aggressively called up their top prospects in recent years; Chase Silseth (2021), Zach Neto (2022), Nolan Schanuel (2023) and Johnson (2024) are all the first player to make their MLB debut from their respective draft class.
