Indians option Johnson; lose 9-5 to Rockies

Daniel Johnson had a better spring training than any of Cleveland’s outfielders, and all it did was get him sent to to the minor leagues.

Johnson was optioned to Triple-A Columbus March 19 as the Indians moved closer to finalizing their opening-day roster with a move that was tough on several fronts.

With the Indians looking to fill spots in right and center field, the 25-year-old Johnson performed as well as any of the outfielders competing by batting .368 (7 for 19) with two homers and four RBIs in nine Cactus League games.

Unlike some of the other outfielders in camp, however, Johnson still has options and because he didn’t have a full minor league season in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Indians want him to get some extra work at all three outfield spots.

Bullpen falters in loss to Rockies

The Indians’ bullpen proved to be their undoing March 19, giving up five runs in the last three innings in the Tribe’s 9-4 loss to the Rockies.

After Emmanuel Clase surrendered a home run to Dom Perez in the seventh inning to increase the Rockies lead to 5-3, the Rockies blew the game open in the eighth inning, scoring four runs of Blake Parker. Parker pitched 1/3 of an inning.

The Indians played from behind most of the afternoon, as the Rockies jumped over Aaron Civale for two runs in the second inning. Civale took the loss, surrendering four runs (three earned) in four innings of work.

The Indians’ bats came alive in the second inning, scoring runs on a Cesar Hernandez single and Eddie Rosario sacrifice fly. Roberto Perez and Franmil Reyes added solo home runs.