Tyler Burke Johnson (born August 21, 1995) is an American former professional baseballpitcher. He played 5 seasons in the Chicago White Sox system, but never played in the major leagues despite spending time on the team’s 40-man roster.
Johnson spent his first professional season with the Great Falls Voyagers (where he earned Pioneer League All-Star honors)[2] and Kannapolis Intimidators, pitching to a 1–1 record and a 3.86 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 25+2⁄3 innings in 22 relief appearances between both teams.[3]
In 2018, he pitched with Kannapolis, with whom he was named a South Atlantic League All-Star, and the Winston-Salem Dash,[4][5] going 9–0 with 14 saves and a 1.40 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP over 58 relief innings in which he struck out 89 batters with both clubs.[6]
In 2019, he began the season with the Birmingham Barons,[7] pitching to a 3.44 ERA and going 2–0 over 12 relief appearances in which he struck out 23 batters in 18+1⁄3 innings.[3] He missed time during the season due to injury. After the season, he was selected to the United States national baseball team for the 2019 WBSC Premier 12,[8] but he did not pitch in the tournament.[9] Johnson did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[10]
On November 20, 2020, Johnson was added to the 40-man roster.[11] He made 16 appearances split between Kannapolis, Winston-Salem, and the Triple-A Charlotte Knights, but struggled to a 9.56 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 16 innings pitched. On July 29, 2021, Johnson was released by the White Sox.[12]
On October 4, 2021, Johnson re-signed with the White Sox on a minor league contract.[13] In 2022, Johnson pitched in 6 games for Charlotte, registering a 14.29 ERA with 6 strikeouts in 5+2⁄3 innings pitched. He elected free agency following the season on November 10, 2022.[14]
On April 14, 2023, Johnson announced his retirement from professional baseball via Instagram.[15]