BOSTON -- Brian Johnson fractured multiple bones in his face Aug. 18, 2012, just a little over two months after the Red Sox drafted him 31st overall. A comebacker struck him in the face during Futures at Fenway.

Nearly six years later, the Red Sox left-handed pitcher still occasionally finds himself protecting his face with his glove.

"I couldn't really pitch like I wanted to (initially after returning) because I was so worried about the ball coming back at me," Johnson told MassLive.com here at Fenway Park.

At first, he almost always protected his face.

"And I still do it to this day," Johnson said. "If I don't see it off the bat, I put my hand up."

He has done it this season pitching for Boston.

Johnson certainly appreciates this opportunity he has with Boston here in his first extended stay in the majors. He has no minor league options remaining and so he knows he has to pitch well.

He probably appreciates his big league opportunity more than most others simply because he overcome multiple obstacles in the minors, starting that afternoon here at Fenway pitching for the Lowell Spinners.

He initially questioned if he'd ever pitch again after the injury. Then he almost quit baseball in 2016, when he took a leave of absence to be treated for anxiety and depression.

"It's been awesome," Johnson said about being in the big leagues for an extended period. "I don't take anything for granted. I think that's the biggest thing I've learned. I don't take a day in here for granted. I work as hard as I can every day whether it's good or bad or indifferent. I'm grateful to be here. And I'm going to keep working as hard as I can to be the best I can."

He has had to adjust to a new role as a reliever. He has had difficulty in three outings, seeing his ERA inflate to 6.00 in his 13 appearances (one start). But don't count him out. He has overcome much greater challenges.

"It's easy to sit back and kind of sulk or pout if you don't have a good outing," he said. "I won't do that. That's not who I am."

Protecting himself with his glove

Johnson recalled a time this year he put his glove up to protect his face.

"I don't remember which game it was, but I remember there was a ball hit and I didn't see it and went like this," Johnson said, demonstrating how he defends himself.

The ball went between the first and second base to the outfield for a single.

First baseman Mitch Moreland approached Johnson afterward.

"My bad," Moreland told Johnson as he felt he should have made the play.

"I wouldn't have been there anyway, I didn't see it off the bat," Johnson recalled telling Moreland. "So there's still times ... if I don't see it off the bat, my glove immediately goes over my face."

Johnson mentioned Bartolo Colon recently getting struck in the stomach with a comebacker.

Colon joked about his belly weight. "I have a lot of big belly, so I can take it," Colon told reporters, per MLB.com.

"It still hurts," Johnson said. "I never want to see anyone get hit."

Johnson immediately feared surgery and permanent damage to his face.

"What was I going to look like? Was I ever going to look the same?" Johnson said. "Would I recognize myself in the mirror? That was the stuff that was going through my mind. Would I ever be normal? Would I look normal? ... Am I ever going to play baseball again? You question a lot of things."

He avoided surgery ("I was lucky"). It took about three months for the swelling to subside. He felt a knot in his face.

"Actually, the only thing that hurt was laughing because you use those muscles," he said. "Other than that, it would just take me a long time to eat. Mac and cheese would take me like an hour."

Transition to the bullpen

Johnson's repertoire and velocity likely suits him best in the starting rotation. But his focus is on relieving right now. He doesn't even think about an eventual move back to the rotation.

"I kind of just don't even think about being a starter right now," he said. "My job right now is to come out of the bullpen and get outs. That's all I really think about."

Johnson has admitted several times he has trouble sitting still. But he said his personality has fit the bullpen just fine.

"Because I know with my role I need to be ready from inning one till about inning four or five. And then after that it's left-on-left situations."

Turning the page quickly after bad outings, something essential for relievers, has been an adjustment.

"I think everyone in this profession is hard on themselves because there's a limited, select few who get the opportunity to play, let alone consistently be up here," Johnson said. "The difference is if you have a bad outing in the bullpen, you don't know when you're going to toe the rubber next. When you have a bad outing as a starter, you know in five days you're going to get the chance."

David Price's near complete game shutout here Thursday brought back memories for Johnson of his complete game shutout victory almost one year ago. It happened May 27, 2017.

It was a special day. His dad watched him pitch in the majors in person for the first time.

"The one thing that kind of immediately brought it back was when he ran out for the ninth and everyone kind of stood up," Johnson said. "Everyone clapping every pitch. I just remember kind of that moment."