PHOENIX | Dan Johnson wants to win back a starting job with the Oakland Athletics, and he has one significant thing working for him: He can see again.
Johnson spent the second half of last season at Triple-A Sacramento after beginning the year as Oakland's starting first baseman. While he offers no excuses for why he struggled offensively for the A's, it certainly didn't help that he accidentally squirted sunscreen directly into his right eye on the final day of spring training last year.
The bottle was old and had gobbed up, so when Johnson tried to spritz the cream to his arm it made a hard stream into his eye instead, causing severe trauma. A's trainer Larry Davis witnessed the whole thing and it was later determined that Johnson had double-vision.
Johnson spent last season with what he thought was one blurry eye and tried a variety of different drops. The remedies would work only temporarily before he had to try something new. His eye also felt dry much of the time, and he became used to blinking constantly.
"It would fix the problem for a while," he said of his different methods. "It was infected and producing a gel instead of an oil. My eyes got tired."
This winter, he saw four or five doctors who put their heads together to determine what was wrong -- and he received a diagnosis just a few weeks ago. Johnson has since been undergoing therapy on the eye and so far is pleased with the results, though he says he won't know right away how much it helps his swing.
"My perception of what was wrong was wrong," he said. "There were dramatic results right away. It's night and day."
The 27-year-old Johnson has been working out at the team's Papago Park complex to get ready for what should be a good competition during spring training. While the A's initially said this offseason that Johnson was all but a lock to be the starting first baseman, the acquisition of outfielder Shannon Stewart earlier this month has club officials backing off on that plan.
If Stewart has a strong spring, he could earn a shot to start in left field, meaning Nick Swisher would play first base rather than in left field as he had been pegged.
"That's going to be the most interesting scenario to play out," manager Bob Geren said. "We have a good problem to have."
Johnson is just happy to finally be feeling like himself again. He figures he's fortunate, because the quick-drying, waterproof sunscreen advises users to call poison control if the substance is swallowed -- of course there weren't any guidelines in the case of spraying it in the eyes.
Johnson batted .237 with seven home runs and 25 RBIs in 72 games before the All-Star break last year, then was optioned to Sacramento when Milton Bradley came off the disabled list July 15. Johnson rejoined the defending AL West champion A's for September.
He hopes this will be his first full season in the big leagues after playing 109 games for Oakland in 2005, when he hit .275 with 15 homers and 58 RBIs. Johnson was a highly touted prospect in the organization despite being only a seventh-round draft pick in 2001. He moved quickly up the farm system.
"I made it through all of last year somehow," Johnson said. "This game is all about adjustments. I don't use any excuses for why I struggled. It was just a freak accident."
