Los Angeles Angels pitching prospect Ryan Johnson has been called up to the big leagues — without ever playing in the minors. Johnson, a 22-year-old right-hander, has been named to the Angels’ Opening Day roster, heading straight to the majors after being drafted by the team in July.
Johnson was selected by the Angels in the second round of the 2024 draft, off a compensatory pick earned from losing Shohei Ohtani to the Los Angeles Dodgers in free agency. He is the 24th player in MLB history to go straight to the majors.
Angels GM Perry Minasian told reporters on Tuesday that the team expects him to eventually become a starter. For now, though, Johnson said Tuesday that it has been “surreal” to have his career progress so quickly.
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“Not even now do I really think it’s possible,” Johnson said. “There wasn’t really a point where I was just like, ‘I’m close, I think I’m almost there.’ It never even crossed my mind.”
Johnson played well for the Angels during spring training, pitching in 11 1/3 innings across six games and ending with an ERA of 3.97 and a WHIP of 1.059.
Before the draft, Johnson spent three season pitching at Dallas Baptist University, starting 16 games in his junior season while posting an ERA of 2.21 and a WHIP of 0.915.
Johnson’s promotion marks a trend of Angels players who have been fast-tracked to the majors after an unusually short amount of time. Recent players like shortstop Zach Neto and right-handed pitchers Chase Silseth and Ben Joyce were all called up from the minors after a year. First baseman Nolan Schanuel was brought up to the Angels’ major league roster after just 40 days in the minors.
Johnson will be the first MLB player to skip the minors since Garrett Crochet, who made his major league debut with the Chicago White Sox in 2020, two months after being drafted. (Crochet was traded to the Boston Red Sox this offseason after four years in Chicago.) Prior to that, the only other player to skip the minor leagues in the past two decades was right-handed pitcher Mike Leake, who debuted for the Cincinnati Reds in 2010.
