The Red Sox have placed left-hander Brian Johnson on outright waivers, according to a report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

#RedSox left-hander Brian Johnson also on outright waivers, sources tell The Athletic. With Thanksgiving holiday looming, a number of similar moves are expected today as teams address their 40-man roster in advance of the non-tender deadline on Dec. 2. — Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 25, 2019

Johnson, who has pitched in 65 games since debuting in 2015, can be claimed by any club over the next 48 hours. If he clears waivers, he will remain in the Red Sox organization but no longer be a member of the 40-man roster.

Johnson was a bright spot for the Sox in 2018, posting a 4.17 ERA in 99 ⅓ innings while boomeranging back and forth between starting and relief roles. The former first-round pick made 13 stars and came out of the bullpen 25 times that season, pairing with Hector Velazquez to give the Sox two effective swingmen during their championship season.

Injuries limited Johnson to just 40 ⅓ innings in 2019 and he struggled to a 6.02 ERA and 1.884 WHIP in those limited opportunities. In seven starts, he was 0-2 with a 5.09 ERA, highlighting Boston’s depth problem when top starters Nathan Eovaldi, Chris Sale and David Price went out with injuries.

Under new chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, the Red Sox are clearly trying to improve their pitching depth in case any of their starters (Eovaldi, Sale, Price or Eduardo Rodriguez) is not healthy in 2020. Boston will likely need to add a veteran fifth starter to replace Rick Porcello, who is a free agent.

Internal pitching options who can give the Sox length include Velazquez, Mike Shawaryn, Marcus Walden and Ryan Weber. Boston recently added left-hander Kyle Hart to the 40-man roster, providing an option who can pitch multiple innings, potentially in a swingman role.

Placing Johnson on waivers may not be the only move made by the Red Sox this week. In advance of next Tuesday’s deadline to non-tender players, teams are cutting players from their 40-man rosters before the Thanksgiving holiday later this week.

Johnson, who turns 29 next month, owns a 7-9 record and 4.74 ERA in parts of four years with the Sox. He is scheduled to be arbitration eligible for the first time next season.