Tides’ Daniel Johnson hits his way into MLB mix, but earning call-up to Orioles won’t be easy

NORFOLK — Even as difficult as it is to do these days in the stacked Baltimore Orioles organization, Daniel Johnson has played his way into the conversation for a major league job.

Just a few weeks shy of his 29th birthday, the veteran Norfolk Tides outfielder entered Saturday night’s month-opening game against Gwinnett having hit .350 with six home runs and 23 RBIs in 24 May games.

The torrid month raised Johnson’s overall average to .307. In Friday night’s 7-6 win over the Stripers, he hit his 10th homer and drove in his 32nd run in his 40th game, raising his OPS to .983.

But Johnson, a native of Vallejo, California, and a former fifth-round draft pick out of New Mexico State by the Washington Nationals, faces a situation familiar to several of his teammates: For the time being, the loaded Orioles have nowhere to put him.

The sustained success of major league outfielders like Colton Cowser, Cedric Mullins, Austin Hays and Anthony Santander — all former Norfolk players — makes opportunities to field fly balls at the game’s highest level especially scarce.

Johnson, though, is staying the course. With 35 big league games under his belt over parts of two seasons with Cleveland, he sees the path to returning.

“Having that experience up there, you know what you need to do — what things you need to work on, what things they’re looking for,” Johnson said. “So it’s I wouldn’t say easier now, but it’s more like a routine, more of a clear head space of what I need to do to get back there.”

One thing that’s helped: A bit player to start the season, he’s now playing every day.

Johnson has played all three outfield positions while helping an offense that entered the weekend fifth in the International League with a .261 team batting average.

Tides manager Buck Britton praised not only Johnson’s hitting tools, but also his defense, his arm and his speed. Britton added that the path to Baltimore is not an easy one.

“Yeah, you never know in baseball,” Britton said. “Obviously, this organization we’re in, it’s tough at the top. But if anybody goes down and you get a guy that can play all three spots and who’s hot at the plate, I mean, he’s got to be a guy they’re talking about.”

Connor Norby is among those who can relate. A career second baseman who’s been learning to play the corner outfield positions over the past two seasons, the former East Carolina star has yet to make his major league debut despite success with Norfolk.

Norby hit .290 with 40 doubles, 21 homers and 92 RBIs in 138 games with the Tides last season. He entered Saturday hitting .286 and was fourth in the league with 16 doubles.

“I’m a good Triple-A player, but I don’t want to be a good Triple-A player,” the plain-talking Norby said. “I want to be a good big leaguer. And I think I can be, and I think I can play this game for a long time, and I think I can play it at the highest level. But it’s just keeping my head on straight, trusting my plan, doing the things I need to do on a daily basis to get me there and keep me there. And the chips will fall where they need to.”

Fellow corner outfielder Heston Kjerstad waits in the wings, too, though he’s had brief tastes of the major leagues the past two seasons.

Kjerstad entered Saturday leading the IL in RBIs (44), slugging percentage (.674) and OPS (1.093), and he was tied for third with 13 homers.

Part of Britton’s job is to make sure his players remain motivated, even if the reward isn’t always what they think it should be.

“I think that’s the most important part: Create an environment here where guys want to show up and do the work,” Britton said. “They really like playing with each other, which is nice. That helps a ton, so I really don’t have to do anything there. And I think everybody here’s got something to prove, which is nice as well.”

Johnson and Norby both said every player on the team picks the brains of others to try to get better. It’s a symbiotic group that exists in what can be, at times, an every-man-for-himself business.

It’s also one that Johnson knows requires patience, even when things are going exceedingly well.

“I mean, it’d be the same way in any other org,” Johnson said. “You’ve got to pay your dues a little bit. You’ve also got to earn everything you get. So I’m just trying to play hard every single day.”

David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com.