The Pirates may have to put Termarr Johnson’s development on pause after a frightening injury scare in Triple-A Indianapolis.
Johnson went down in the eighth inning of Indianapolis’ game against Iowa, the Cubs’ affiliate, at Victory Field on Aug. 8.
He hit a ground ball and tried to beat it out, but as he rushed to first, he fell hard and immediately clutched his left knee. The play appeared to come when Johnson tried to avoid stepping on the Iowa first baseman’s back foot, then overstepped on the first base bag and injured himself.
The scene was serious enough that Johnson needed a cart to leave the field, and he also had his leg in an air cast. That combination pointed to a significant injury.
It’s a brutal blow for a player who had already spent much of the season fighting through offensive struggles at Triple-A. In 96 games, Johnson was hitting .199/.336/.319 with a .655 OPS, plus 66 hits in 332 at-bats, 14 doubles, eight home runs, 37 RBI and 68 walks against 101 strikeouts.
By the numbers, he has been one of the least productive qualified hitters in the International League, sitting tied for the second-worst batting average, fourth-worst batting average and sixth-worst OPS among qualified players.
There had been some signs of life lately. Johnson hit .225/.384/.393 in June with a .777 OPS, then followed that with a .250/.375/.450 line and an .825 OPS in July.
Seven of his eight home runs came in those two months. Before that, though, March/April and May were rough, with Johnson posting a .167/.284/.215 line and a .499 OPS, while homering just once.
With 37 games left in the Triple-A season, this injury arrives at a terrible moment. Johnson had a chance to finish strong after a difficult year and maybe build some real momentum.
The Pirates selected Johnson with the fourth overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft out of Benjamin E. Mays High School in Atlanta, Ga.
He still hasn’t developed into the power bat Pittsburgh likely envisioned, with 51 home runs across 467 games. What he has shown is excellent strike-zone control, reflected in a .382 on-base percentage in the minors, but the organization still wants to see more damage in the batter’s box.
At 22, Johnson remains one of the Pirates’ most important young pieces. Now the big question is how long this injury keeps him out, and whether it could be the kind of setback that wipes out the rest of his season.
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