Post-retirement / comeback attempts / coaching career After retiring, Johnson expressed an interest in coaching. In mid-1996, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays named Johnson to the coaching staff of their rookie-level minor league team, the Butte Copper Kings. In February 1997, Johnson attempted a comeback with the Mets but abandoned the attempt after a month when his batting average was .129. Later in the year, he signed on as a scout with the Mets. Johnson was named the batting coach of the Mets' Brooklyn Cyclones minor league team for 2001. He was made the manager for 2002 after Brooklyn was named co-champion of the New York–Penn League (the championship was cancelled due to the September 11, 2001 attacks). In 2003, Johnson was the hitting coach under manager, Ken Oberkfell, when the St. Lucie Mets won the Florida State League championship. Johnson and Oberkfell were promoted to the AA Binghamton Mets for 2004 and guided them into the Eastern League playoffs. Both were promoted again to the AAA Norfolk Tides for 2005 and the Tides posted their highest batting average in six seasons. He served as the Tides' hitting coach again in 2006 under Oberkfell. In 2007, he took over first base coaching duties for the Mets, and later that year was named hitting coach. In 2011, he was replaced by Dave Hudgens. In 2011, at age 50, Howard Johnson returned to professional baseball for a brief comeback to play two minor league games with his son Glen Johnson for the Rockland Boulders. In the first game, Howard went hitless in four at-bats, but made contact in each plate appearance. In the second game, he walked in his first at-bat but then left the game to act as first-base coach. Johnson was named hitting coach for AAA Tacoma Rainiers of the Seattle Mariners organization for the 2013 baseball season. Johnson joined the Mariners as a hitting coach for the 2014 season, as part of the new coaching staff. He was replaced by Edgar Martínez on June 20, 2015. Johnson managed the single-A Down East Wood Ducks in 2017, and was hitting instructor for the AAA Round Rock Express in 2018. In 2019, he was the hitting coach for the AAA Nashville Sounds. In 2020, he joined the Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican League as their hitting coach. Notable achievements Member of the 1984 World Series champion Tigers and the 1986