ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Four-time Gold Glove winner Charles Johnson requested a leave of absence from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Wednesday to handle a personal matter.
Johnson, signed Monday as a backup for catcher Toby Hall, was scheduled to start Wednesday against the Toronto Blue Jays. He was scratched after meeting with manager Lou Piniella before the game.
"He came in and told me he wasn't ready to catch today,"
Piniella said.
General manager Chuck LaMar said that if Johnson, who remained
in uniform and was available to play Wednesday, did not return to
the team by noon Friday he would be placed on a restricted list
without pay.
"It's a personal matter," LaMar said. "He's asked for this,
and we granted it."
LaMar declined to discuss specifics of Johnson's request, but
did say it was not a bereavement situation and that the 33-year-old
former All-Star had not given any indications that he's considering
retirement.
Johnson signed a one-year contract Monday, less than a week
after he was traded to Boston as part of a deal that sent reliever
Byung-Hyun Kim to Colorado. The Red Sox immediately designated him
for assignment and released him.
The Devil Rays had been pursuing a possible trade for Johnson
for months and felt fortunate to finally get him and only have to
pay $316,000 of his $9 million salary. The Rockies and Red Sox pay
the remainder.
Johnson was not available for comment, but issued a brief
statement through the team.
"I'm going to return home to Miami and hopefully join the club
as soon as possible," the catcher said.
Piniella said it's unlikely Johnson will return by Friday and
that Pete Laforest or Tim Laker, who were with the team during
spring training, could be brought back as a replacement.
"I hope Charles can resolve his problems, whatever they are,
and get back to playing baseball," Piniella said.
The Devil Rays have an off day Thursday and begin a weekend
series against Oakland on Friday night.
Johnson's request is the latest in a series of setbacks that
have forced LaMar to make roster adjustments.
Offseason acquisitions Roberto Alomar and Danny Bautista retired unexpectedly during camp, and outfielder Alex Sanchez is serving a 10-day suspension after becoming the first player publicly identified for violating major league baseball's new steroids policy.
"These are all setbacks. We're not deep as it is," Piniella said. "It seems like they're hitting us all at once, but we'll get by this."