After starting season in Mexico, Vallejo’s Daniel Johnson is back home with SF Giants ...Middle East

SAN FRANCISCO — Daniel Johnson didn’t have any other choice. To get back to the majors, Johnson had to step out of his comfort zone.

“It was definitely a different world, I’ll tell you that,” Johnson said. “A lot to get used to. Kind of a little bit of culture shock. But at the end of the day, I was out there to play baseball.”

That world was Mexico, where Johnson spent two months with Caliente de Durango before signing a minor-league deal with the Giants in May. For Johnson, who turns 30 next month, Durango represented another chapter in his journey as a baseball nomad, a brief stint that landed him back home in the Bay Area with a team he grew up watching.

“My thought process was to play my [butt] off in Mexico and do everything I can to get back here,” Johnson said. “I knew there would be scouts there. So, I just wanted to play my same game, stay patient, stay present and hopefully the opportunity will come about.”

Johnson’s baseball journey began in Vallejo, where he starred for Jesse Bethel High School and led the Jaguars to the playoffs for the first time in program history. Despite hitting .515 with a .583 on-base percentage as a senior, Johnson didn’t receive much interest among Division I programs.

Following high school, Johnson spent one year at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College — a junior college — before transferring to New Mexico State University as a walk-on. Johnson ensured he wouldn’t be overlooked again, hitting .382/.434/.630 with 12 homers and 29 steals, earning Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year.

Johnson was selected taken in the fifth round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Washington Nationals but traded to the Cleveland Guardians in November 2018. Johnson made his debut with Cleveland on July 25, 2020 in an empty Progressive Field, the second day of the COVID-19 impacted season. The following year, Johnson hit his first career home run off Chris Bassitt at the Oakland Coliseum, a stadium he grew up visiting.

Following his 30-game stint with the Guardians in 2021, Johnson spent the next two seasons in the minors, bouncing from the Guardians to the Mets to the Padres. He played one game with the Baltimore Orioles in ’24 but spent the rest of the year in Triple-A.

Johnson could’ve returned to Baltimore but wanted to test the market. By the time he circled back, the offer was gone. He had interest from teams in Japan and Korea but never received a formal offer. On the cusp of spring training, Johnson didn’t have a team.

Then, Mexico came calling.

Johnson joined Caliente de Durango this past March and experienced the most unique spring training of his professional career.

Durango’s stadium, Estadio Francisco Villa, was unavailable. To play their preseason games, the team had to bus to play other teams, trips that took eight to 10 hours. Johnson’s team would set up shop, play three games, then bus to the next city. The hour-long commutes in the Grapefruit League were nothing by comparison.

“It was definitely a different way of doing things during spring training,” Johnson said.

Johnson had the luxury of playing alongside former teammates, including former Giant Roberto Pérez. Pérez helped Johnson navigate the language barrier, though Johnson picked up a few phrases

Johnson was fully prepared to spend an entire season with Durango, hoping to play his way back to America. His tenure only lasted 10 games.

In his brief time with Durango, Johnson hit five homers and posted a slash line of .429/.512/.943. Soon enough, the Giants reached out to Johnson’s agent. He signed yet another minor-league deal, the fourth of his professional career, but returned to California with a new perspective.

“I already had the hunger because I wanted to get out of Mexico, but after I got back to the States, it gave me a new way of looking at minor-league ball,” Johnson said. “I cherish it more because I know what it’s like to not play here.”

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Now, Johnson has the opportunity to play at a far more familiar ballpark.

The Giants selected Johnson’s contract as part of Buster Posey’s roster shakeup last Wednesday, giving him an opportunity to play close to home. Johnson provided a spark in his first game as the Giants erased a five-run deficit, totaling two hits, two walks and a steal, as well as a game-saving catch in the ninth inning.

“I grew up coming to these games,” Johnson said before his first game as a Giant. “Obviously, it’s unexpected, but to be here right now is such a blessing. I’m at a loss for words almost.”

Johnson will continue serving as San Francisco’s fourth outfielder, one who can fill in for Jung Hoo Lee in center field when necessary. He’ll likely receive some runway with the Giants given Posey’s desire for roster continuity, especially with the team in the midst of a seven-game winning streak. But 24-year-old Grant McCray is making his own case for a roster spot, hitting .326 with five homers and four steals in his last 10 games entering Wednesday.

Regardless of how long he plays in San Francisco, Johnson will forever have the experience of playing close to home in a ballpark he’s known since childhood. Even if he had to take a trip to Mexico to do so.

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