Brian Johnson's versatility proving invaluable to Boston Red Sox

PHILADELPHIA -- In just six months' time, Brian Johnson has gone from a guy without a guaranteed roster spot to one of the Red Sox' most versatile weapons.

Johnson, who entered the season out of minor-league options, came to spring training with just six major-league starts under his belt. He's endured an up-and down season to this point, struggling at times out of the bullpen while pitching well when thrust into the rotation. Through it all, he's proven tremendously valuable to Alex Cora and the Red Sox, ranking fifth on the team in innings and carrying a sub-4.00 ERA into mid-August.

"Somebody asked me about J.D. [Martinez] and Mookie [Betts] as far as MVP on our team," Cora said Tuesday. "I know they've been 1 and 2, doing what they do. But if you start looking at under-the-radar guys who have put this team in a position to be successful on a daily basis, B.J. is one of them."

Johnson was the likely candidate to be bumped out of the rotation after the return of Drew Pomeranz and trade for Nathen Eovaldi. Chris Sale's two-start D.L. stint afforded Johnson another opportunity, and he took advantage with back-to-back wins over New York and Toronto.

With Sale back healthy and Pomeranz in the bullpen, Cora is using Boston's off days to the team's advantage. Johnson, who is slated to start Friday night at Fenway Park against the Rays, has been a key factor in doing that.

"He has been helping me to start games, to come in relief, to make sure they have 27 outs when we need them," Cora said. "He doesn't complain. He just keeps competing and getting better."

Take Johnson's last week as a prime example of his value. After starting Wednesday night in Toronto, he pitched a scoreless inning in relief Sunday in Baltimore. Due to the off day and some rotation shuffling, he was available again out of the bullpen Tuesday night (but didn't pitch) and will get the start Friday.

"I came into Baltimore expecting to start here [in Philadelphia]," Johnson said." They came to me before the game and said, 'hey, do you feel good enough to go to the 'pen today?' and I was like, 'yeah'."

Johnson's willingness to put ego aside and pitch whenever asked has been a major key to his success. Instead of letting the uncertainty bother him, it helps him thrive.

"You don't know what you're gonna get everyday," he said. "I like it."

"If you put winning as an important priority, then everything just kind of gels together," he added. "Being at the big-league level is an honor in itself, so you just want to be able to do whatever you can to help the team win."

When Rodriguez returns from the D.L. in the coming weeks, Boston will find itself with six capable starters once again. As the Red Sox navigate through September (which includes four off days) and try to keep their staff fresh for October, Johnson will likely continue in his swiss-army type role. It's one Cora remains confident in.

"We have Hector [Velazquez], maybe... but we've got B.J," Cora said. "We've got Drew [Pomeranz], but we know we have somebody else. That's something about the roster that we do like. Having two long guys in the bullpen has been great for us. If we need to bring someone into the middle of the game to get six outs, we know we have someone. It's not just to cover innings. It's to get people out."

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