SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Padres have signed right-handed pitcher Pierce Johnson to a two-year contract through the 2021 season with a club option for 2022, Executive Vice President/General Manager A.J. Preller announced today.

Johnson, 28, spent the 2019 season with the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan, serving as their primary setup man and posting the second-most holds (40) in the Central League. The right-hander went 2-3 with a 1.38 ERA (9 ER, 58.2 IP), 91 strikeouts against 13 walks and allowed just two home runs across his 58 appearances.

The 43rd overall pick (Compensation Round A) by the Chicago Cubs in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft, Johnson has made 38 Major League relief appearances between the Cubs (2017) and San Francisco Giants (2018), going 3-2 with a 5.44 ERA (27 ER, 44.2 IP) and seven games finished. The Arvada, Colo. native has appeared in 147 minor league games (74 starts) in the Cubs and Giants organizations, posting a 29-21 record with a 3.26 ERA (169 ER, 467.0 IP), 488 strikeouts against 215 walks and a .232 opponent batting average. He attended Missouri State University where he set the single-season strikeout record (119) and ranked 3rd in the Missouri Valley Conference in ERA (2.53) in 2012.