Manny Ramirez is getting a lot of attention as he plans his return to the Dodgers after his 50-game drug suspension by Major League Baseball. The outfielder was with the club’s Triple-A team in New Mexico on Thursday night but did not play because the field was too wet for the liking of the Dodgers.

So far he has played in two games with Albuquerque in the Pacific Coast League. The next stop could be Inland Empire, the Dodgers’ Class-A affiliate in the California League. Inland Empire is on the road Friday and Saturday and returns home Sunday for a three-game series against Rancho Cucamonga, an Angels farm club and one of the best tongue twisters in pro ball.

If Ramirez winds up with Inland Empire for a few games, he might be expected to pick up the tab for pizza in the home clubhouse, which is typical for major league stars during rehab assignments in the minors. Ramirez, of course, is not your typical star, but if he does order out one of the recipients would be Kingsville’s Steve Johnson, a pitcher for Inland Empire.

“There is a slim possibility he may come tonight because of the rain last night,” Johnson said Friday morning from Lake Elsinore, the home of the Padres team in the California League. “The games tonight and Saturday here are sold out. From what I know, he is coming Saturday through Tuesday with us. That should be interesting. From what I have heard, he is a good guy to be around.”

Johnson played high school ball at St. Paul’s in Brooklandville and was drafted by the Dodgers in the 13th round in 2005. He began this season as the 15th best prospect in the Dodger system, according to Baseball America. The right-hander was 3-6 with an ERA of 7.10 in 11 starts for Inland Empire last season but has improved to 5-4, 4.25 in 14 games, with 12 starts, this year. He is slated to start Saturday and could be joined in the lineup by Ramirez.

Johnson is the son of Dave Johnson, who pitched for the Orioles, Pirates and Tigers and is now a broadcaster for MASN. Johnson is not the only son of a former big leaguer with Inland Empire. Outfielders on the team include Preston Mattingly, son of former Yankee great Don, and Scott Van Slyke, the son of former Cardinal and Pirate outfielder Andy, who spent part of the ‘95 season with the Orioles.

The younger Johnson said he has done better this season because he is used to the high Class-A league. “I’m getting smarter with how I pitch. It is kind of coming together,” said Johnson, who turned down an offer from Boston College to play pro ball. “This is obviously a hitter’s league.”

The scout who signed Johnson is Clair Rierson, a Frederick resident who covers the mid-Atlantic region for the Dodgers. Rierson also signed infielder Steven Caseres, of Inland Empire. Caseres was taken in the eighth round of the 2008 draft out of James Madison University in Virginia. He was hitting .293 with 10 homers through Thursday, while Van Slyke was hitting .297 and Mattingly was at .284.

Johnson and former University of Maryland pitcher Eric Milton combined on a shutout Sunday for Inland Empire. Johnson was scheduled to start but Milton got the nod since he was on a rehab assignment from the big league club. The two had never met, Johnson said.

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