Tuesday, June 15, 1999
Johnson to DL; LaRue called up
BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Brian Johnson's 3-for-6 hitting in his last two games was quite an admirable effort for somebody playing on one leg.
Johnson's sore right knee ceased to be a well-kept secret Monday when the Reds placed the six-year veteran catcher on the 15-day disabled list with cartilage fragments in his knee.
Reds General Manager Jim Bowden said that Johnson is scheduled to undergo arthroscopic surgery today and should return shortly after the All-Star break. Johnson was hitting .275 with four homers and 15 RBI in 27 games, including .347 in his last 16 appearances.
Jason LaRue, Cincinnati's top catching prospect, was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis to replace Johnson. LaRue was hitting .249 with six homers and 20 RBI in 50 games.
LaRue hit .315 with Single-A Charleston in 1997 and .365 for Double-A Chattanooga last year. “We think this will be a good developmental experience for him,” Bowden said.
It'll be a relatively brief experience if Johnson recovers on schedule. “Basically, it's a cleanout,” Reds team physician Dr. Tim Kremchek said.
Kremchek said that the discomfort in Johnson's knee had “really escalated over the last couple of weeks,” prompting medication, one instance of draining fluid from the knee and related treatments.
But Johnson felt “visibly more painful,” in Kremchek's words, after catching six innings Sunday. Johnson underwent a magnetic resonance imaging examination (MRI) Monday, confirming that surgery would be necessary to, as Kremchek said, “get him back in July, August and September.”
Reds Stories
Smith at camp without a contract
Bengals sign Covington
Purcell summer league saved
Summer League basketball schedule
Strong in stable condition
Reds page
