BOSTON -- Seeking to add to their depleted outfield depth, the Red Sox Saturday obtained Marlon Byrd from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for pitcher Michael Bowden and a player to be named later.
The Cubs are also responsible for "most'' of Byrd's 6.5 million salary this season.
The Sox currently have two starting outfielders -- Carl Crawford and Jacoby Ellsbury -- on the disabled list and may soon have a third. Jason Repko injured his left shoulder banging into the center field wall Friday and suffered what manager Bobby Valentine termed a "slight separation.''
When asked if Repko had been placed on the disabled list, Valentine said: "No...not today.''
Byrd, 34, was off to a miserable start with the Cubs, with just three hits in 43 at-bats for a lowly .070 batting average.
Several scouts Saturday labeled Byrd "average'' defensively. He's capable of playing all three outfield spots, including center.
A veteran of 11 seasons, he's played with Philadelphia, Washington and Texas in addition to the Cubs. As recently as 2010, he was an everyday player for the Cubs when he .293 with 12 homers and 66 RBI.
Bowden, a native of Illinois, gets another chance after being designated for assignment by the Red Sox last weekend. He was out of options this spring, and as a result, made the team when the season began. He made two appearances, covering three appearances, and allowed a run.
But when the Sox needed to free up a roster spot last weekend, he was designated to make room on the 40-man roster for the addition of Repko.
A first-round pick of the Red Sox in 2005, Bowden will be reunited with Theo Epstein, the Cubs president of baseball operations who drafted Bowden in Boston as the Sox' GM.