 He had 35 total at-bats with St. Louis in the 2013 season.Johnson signed a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres in February 2014, intending to switch to pitching full-time.However, after being sidelined in the spring due to elbow pain, Johnson learned that he had torn the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing arm, and would need to undergo Tommy John surgery in order to catch again 

On May 23, 2014, Johnson announced via his official Facebook page that he had chosen to retire from professional baseball.