Boston Red Sox outfield prospect Bryce Brentz accidentally shot himself in the leg while cleaning his handgun, general manager Ben Cherington said Saturday.
The accident happened in the latter half of January, according to the Providence Journal . The bullet went in one side and out the other, but Brentz’s injury was relatively minor. Brentz is receiving treatment in Fort Myers.
“I guess you could say he got lucky relative to what happened. I think he understands he got lucky,” Cherington said. “It’s a serious thing and he has to be careful. He’s here in Fort Myers and he’s recovering and it’s not going to get in the way of his future, but he won’t be in big league camp.”
Cherington also said that the Red Sox didn’t have a specific policy on handguns.
“We’ve had a couple conversations with him about how serious this is,” Cherington said. “He wasn’t doing anything illegal; it was an accident.”
The 24-year-old righty said the injury was “nothing serious.”
“Everything is fine, but I was cleaning my gun and it accidentally discharged on me and I sustained an injury. Nothing serious,” he said. “That’s why I was out of big league camp, because at the time I’m not able to participate fully, but I am recovering very fast and should be OK for the season.”
Brentz also wrote on Twitter:
Wanna thank everyone for the concerns and prayers. I return to full practice Monday and looking forward to a great 2013 season
— bryce brentz (@Bbrentz7) February 9, 2013
According to NBC Sports , Brentz was a supplemental first-round pick of the Red Sox in 2010. He made his way to Triple-A Pawtucket at the end of 2012 after averaging.276/.335/.479 over his first three seasons.