Marlins Ace Josh Johnson Probably Won’t Pitch Again In 2011

Well, that’s one explanation for Johnson near-anonymity. Here’s another: Johnson has been around for six seasons, and won 48 games. His wins in those six seasons: 12-0-7-15-11-3. Can you really blame baseball fans for not becoming super-familiar with Johnson’s talents?

That last number, of course, represents Johnson’s 2011. Sporting News devoted that valuable cover real-estate to a pitcher with three wins in late May. Granted, Johnson deserved a better fate; at the time, he had an incredible 1.64 in nine starts and with just decent luck would have won seven or eight games already.

On Wednesday, a rehabbing Johnson had his shoulder examined just to make sure everything was peaches. It was examined by Dr. James Andrews, which is always a scary thing to hear, but the visit was considered precautionary, and the news is good:

So everything is all right in there. Johnson received a cortisone shot and will take a week and a half of rest, but after that he should get back to working out and stands a chance of returning to the Marlins in late July, although early August might be more likely. He’s well beyond his initial timetable now, but the important thing is that he’s not dealing with anything major.

The first timetable had Johnson looking to return on June 1, so it’s clear that Johnson has not recovered as the organization wished that he would. Which isn’t really Johnson’s fault, mind you, but I don’t know if the Marlins could be without a more important player.

After Johnson’s last start, he owned a 1.64 ERA, and the Marlins were 24-16. Since that start, the Marlins have gone 8-17 to plummet south in the NL East and wild card races, and a big reason why is that they have not received good starting pitching. Johnson will help when he returns, but by that point it might be too late to make a difference in 2011.

Johnson still hasn’t thrown so much as a bullpen session, so he certainly appears to be a ways off. Given that he’s the best pitcher on the staff, that’s bad news for a Marlins team trying desperately to hang in the race.

Edwin says June 6 or 7 more likely for Josh Johnson return, not June 1Considering a) Johnson’s importance to the Marlins both this year and in the future, and b) that it’s a shoulder problem, it would make sense for the Marlins to play it safe. While the team is in the thick of the NL East race, there’s no reason to rush Johnson back.

In his most recent start, on May 16, Johnson left after five innings and 85 pitches, having surrendered just one run.

For more on Johnson and the Marlins, check out SB Nation’s Marlins blog, FishStripes.