Orioles' Kelly Johnson Becomes 1st Player to Play for All 5 AL East Teams

When Kelly Johnson of the Baltimore Orioles took the field on Tuesday, Sept. 2 against the Cincinnati Reds, he became the first player in MLB history to have played for all five current AL East teams, per Complete Baseball Encyclopedia (via GammonsDaily.com).

Johnson has played for seven different major league teams during his nine-year career, with his first experience in the AL East coming in 2011 with the Toronto Blue Jays. He stayed with the Jays through the 2012 season, and after a brief one-year stint in Tampa Bay in 2013, the infielder began his 2014 campaign with the New York Yankees.

The Yankees then executed a rarely seen intra-division trade in late July, sending Johnson to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for fellow infielder Stephen Drew. Johnson's time in Boston proved to be short-lived, as the Sox shipped him to Baltimore on August 31 in exchange for several minor-league players.

According to Complete Baseball Encyclopedia (via GammonsDaily.com), Johnson is just the second player in MLB history to take the field for three teams in the same division during the same season. He joins Bob Reynolds, who played for the Orioles, Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians—all part of the AL East in the 1975 season.

Additionally, only Johnson and Rick Cerone have played for five AL East teams in their careers, though, the division was structured differently in Cerone's career, which spanned from 1975-92.

Johnson came into his first game as an Oriole as a defensive replacement, proceeding to earn his first start with the team the very next day. With regular third baseman Manny Machado out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury, Johnson will serve as one of the potential replacement options for the division leaders.

Perhaps he'll find a more permanent home to finish his playing days, but for now, the utility infielder and mediocre hitter (.250 career batting average) remains a journeyman at the age of 32.

All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference unless otherwise specified.