Johnson will be back in bigs to start homestand

NEW YORK — After the finest start of his professional career, Brian Johnson was hit with two coolers of Powerade, followed by an even colder dose of reality.

Johnson threw a completegame shutout at Fenway Park on May 27 against the Seattle Mariners, and he was optioned back to Triple A by the Red Sox the very next day.

“That’s part of it,” Johnson said. “Come up, make the most of your opportunity, and go after it after that.”

The left-hander didn’t have to wait long for another opportunity. He will start tonight at Fenway in the series opener against the Detroit Tigers. He will make a spot start in place of Eduardo Rodriguez, and this time, it seems Johnson’s staying power could depend largely on how Rodriguez’ knee responds during his time on the disabled list.

“I think he came away from the Seattle game with some added confidence the way his fastball played against a good-hitting lineup,” manager John Farrell said before last night’s game against the New York Yankees. “So all those ingredients put him in a position to come back with us.”

Rodriguez is on the disabled list with another subluxation of his right knee cap, which is anatomically predisposed to such an injury. There’s no firm timetable on his return, but he seems to be progressing faster than expected.

“If you were to ask me this Monday morning after the exam and where Eddie was at that point, yes, this has been a pretty good advancement here in these 48 hours,” Farrell said.

To go from long toss to starting a major league game in five days, though, seems unlikely, which means Johnson has at least a small window of opportunity.

That window nearly closed Saturday when Johnson stumbled and fell during the second inning of a start for Pawtucket. Johnson was pulled from the game, but the injured was labeled a hamstring cramp and he threw a normal bullpen session to stay on turn for tomorrow’s return to the majors.

After a career marked by setbacks related to injuries and anxiety, Johnson is at last in the right place at the right time.

“There’s been a steady and gradual progression to this point,” Farrell said. “From the personal things he’s gone through to the physical things he’s had to deal with to the uptick of the stuff and the action of the stuff, not just in terms of velocity but I think the action to secondary pitches.”

The shortened outing with the PawSox has been Johnson’s only game action in the nearly two weeks since the Fenway shutout. This will be his second big league start of the season and third of his career.

“We know that Brian is healthy, ready to go,” Farrell said.