Not yet a week removed from being designated for assignment, Marlon Byrd has been released by the Red Sox. Sean
McAdam of Boston’s CSN has confirmed the club has parted ways with the struggling outfielder. Byrd will receive the remainder of his contract pay, mostly being picked up by the Cubs. Byrd will make $6.5 million this year with the Cubs paying $6.1 million.
Byrd was an All-Star in 2010 with the Cubs, but his performance has been spotty. He is a career .278/.336/.413 hitter, but he struggled this year with Boston. He was hitting .270/.286/.320 before the Red Sox designated him for assignment. Rather than continue using a roster spot on Byrd to see if he could work things out in Triple-A, Boston chose to release him.
Last week, Byrd was designated to Triple-A Pawtucket to make room for Daisuke Matsuzaka‘s return from the disabled list. Now, with his release from the club, Byrd completes a fall that saw him go from number four in Rookie of the Year voting to All-Star to DFA’d to released. Byrd will likely catch on with another team, but for now he is without a team for which to play.
The Red Sox have struggled this year and are currently three games under .500. They are looking for any way to improve, including freeing up roster spots.