Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson takes indefinite 'personal leave'

ST. LOUIS – Cincinnati Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson took a “personal leave of absence” ahead of the team’s road trip to St. Louis.

The team has provided no details as to the reason, nor have they suggested a timeline for his return.

“Out of respect to DJ that’s what we have,” Reds manager Terry Francona said before the series opener against the Cardinals.

Johnson, 54, is in his eighth season as Reds pitching coach after spending three seasons in the same position for the Milwaukee Brewers. He was Baseball America’s MLB coach of the year for 2019.

The team has no immediate plans to add anyone to the staff to backfill during Johnson’s absence.

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Assistant pitching coach Matt Tracy and bullpen coach Oscar Marin will continue to handle the day-to-day coaching duties related to the pitching staff, Francona said, as they had done alongside Johnson.

The most noticeable change will be Tracy making visits to the mound instead of Johnson.

“As far as advance (prep work) goes, they’ve been doing it together anyway,” Francona said. “That’s what we’re trying to do: Don’t create more than we need to. So we’ll try to keep things kind of the same.

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“We have really good coaches,” he said. “I think we’ll pull together, which I think is a good trademark of guys that care about each other. I think we’ll be OK.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson takes indefinite ‘personal leave’