Out of all MLB players with at least 40 plate appearances, here's the bottom five in terms of batting average:
Endy Chavez (Orioles) .133/.175/.167
Chris Snyder (Astros) .133/.235/.200
Xavier Nady (Nationals) .129/.169/.194
Nick Johnson (Orioles) .122/.200/.195
Mark DeRosa (Nationals) .081/.227/.081
Yikes. That's two each for the O's and Nationals. Yes, it's May -- which means I'm obligated to say that it's early -- but it's not like Chavez or Johnson deserve a ridiculous amount of leeway.
Chavez, on a one-year, $1.5 million deal, probably isn't going anywhere, but at least he can provide some above-average defense at all three outfield positions when he's healthy. (And right now, he's not. He's headed for the disabled list with an oblique injury.)
But Johnson, who is mostly DHing when he's in the lineup, is earning about half that ($800,000). So if Johnson continues to not hit, it'll be hard to justify his place on the roster. No one said it's easy being the guy who doesn't play all that much but is still under pressure to collect hits, but that's basically Johnson's role right now. And he's not doing a particularly good job.
