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Bryce Brentz suffered injury in gun accident (updated) 02.09.13 at 10:30 am ET
By Alex Speier

Red Sox prospect Bryce Brentz explained by phone that his absence from big league camp in spring training is due to an injury that he sustained due to an accidental discharge of a gun he was cleaning. The injury was sustained after he attended the organization’s Rookie Development Program in early January. While he would not disclose the specific injury, he said that the issue was “nothing serious.” Still, while he expects to be ready for the start of the season, the timing of the injury meant that he would not be able to participate in Red Sox big league camp.

“Everything is fine,” Brentz said. “After the rookie program, I had an accident. Everything is fine, but I was cleaning my gun and it accidentally discharged on me and I sustained an injury. Nothing serious. 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.

“That’s all I can really comment on — everything is fine. I’m just recovering and that’s why I’m not able to participate in big league spring training.”

Brentz is in Fort Myers for spring training, having arrived there at the start of February. The 24-year-old spent last year in Double-A Portland before a year-ending promotion to Triple-A Pawtucket. He hit .290/.349/.465/.814 with 17 homers in 127 games, one year removed from having launched 30 homers in 115 games in Single-A Greenville and High-A Salem. Manager John Farrell recently suggested that Brentz has a chance to impact the big league team in 2013.

“Bryce Brentz, he is that power hitting outfielder for us,” said Farrell. “He’s going to be in Triple-A. He’s got a chance, if an injury comes up or we need a right-handed right-fielder, this is a guy that physically profiles to the position.”

UPDATE: Ben Cherington offered some details regarding Bryce’s incident.

“He had an accident. He was at home cleaning a gun and accidentally went off. He was injured in the process. Fortunately for him it’s something he’s going to recover from and be fine and won’t affect his baseball career. He wasn’t 100 percent physically able, or wouldn’t be at the beginning of camp. We ended up not bringing him to big league camp because he wouldn’t be able to participate 100 percent.

“He was cleaning a gun and it accidentally went off. The bullet went into his leg and out the other side. I guess you could say he got lucky relative to what happened. I think he understands he got lucky and 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 said the team wouldn’t rule out Brentz playing in game before the end of spring training. If not for the accident, the outfielder would have been a non-roster invitee.

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  • http://twitter.com/StephenZeoli Stephen Zeoli

    Chalk another one up to guns!

  • http://twitter.com/Jones36 Charlie Jones

    Cleaning a loaded weapon…. that’s brilliant. 

  • Baauer

    You can do the Harlem Shake!

  • robzrantz

    Freakin’ Rednecks !

  • Stefan Pahor

    Yep… guns make you safer…

  • Anonymous

    If you’re not smart enough to clean a gun without having an “accident”,you probably shouldn’t own one.

  • MichOBummer

    time for the lawmakers to enact some new gun cleaning laws while they overspend our taxpayer $’s laughing all the way to the bank.

  • Boring Media Hype

    there is no such thing as an accidental discharge of a firearm.  Every instance labeled as such eventually leads to the person with the gun not being as careful and safe as he/she needs to be.

    That is all!!!

  • Boring Media Hype

    There’s no accounting for stupidity.  I suggest if you feel safe without a gun don’t carry one.  I’ll do what make me feel safer whatever your opinion might be.  I know that the first step to cleaning my gun is to remove the damn ammunition from said gun

  • http://www.facebook.com/melody.mckinstrie.1 Melody McKinstrie

    Guns are accidents waiting to happen.  Yes people have the right to have guns if they are mentally stable and not felons. 

  • http://www.facebook.com/melody.mckinstrie.1 Melody McKinstrie

    Guns are accidents waiting to happen.  Yes people have the right to have guns if they are mentally stable and not felons. 

  • Anonymous

    Many things are accidents waiting to happen, Melody: guns, cars, airplanes, chainsaws, toddlers with access to a little too much sugary beverage- but I digress.  It’s not a perfectly safe world, no matter how much we want it to be.  The issues is whether or not the benefits of guns, cars, whatever, make them worth the risks that are involved with keeping them around; then trying to mitigate the risks without sacrificing too much of the benefit. 

  • Bubba

    This is an appropriate type of incident to happen to a member of an organization that routinely shoots itself in the foot.

  • AL34

    When you clean a weapon, its suppose to be unloaded. Gunshot wounds at close range are never non serious, because of the damage the bullet does and this one according to the Red Sox went in his leg and exited it. Just sad.

  • http://twitter.com/Ossurworld Russo

    Red Sox should give a Wonderlic test to these morons before they sign them.

  • Anonymous

    Uh, Bryce? You’re supposed to unload it first!!

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/ZVFM2HRNC5CTO2OUXD4XTX65O4 Dennis

     Guess he hasn’t a clue about checking to see if a gun is loaded before he cleans it.

  • http://twitter.com/JLFCASH John Fahrer

    Everybody blames rednecks for gun problems, yet the places where gun crimes happen are in areas with strict gun control laws.

  • http://twitter.com/JLFCASH John Fahrer

    Yeah. He probably accidentally turned off the safety during the cleaning process.

  • http://twitter.com/JLFCASH John Fahrer

    Most gun felons are in areas of strict gun control laws. Maybe it’s time for the people living in those areas to rethink their political strategies. Ex: the best way to stop a psycho with a gun is to point one back, so don’t hate the Second Amendment.

    Also would help if they enforce stricter capitol punishment on felons rather than make them look like villains. I’m sure people would think twice about committing gun crimes if a date with “Old Sparky” was the consequence.

  • http://twitter.com/JLFCASH John Fahrer

    Most gun felons are in areas of strict gun control laws. Maybe it’s time for the people living in those areas to rethink their political strategies. Ex: the best way to stop a psycho with a gun is to point one back, so don’t hate the Second Amendment.

    Also would help if they enforce stricter capitol punishment on felons rather than make them look like villains. I’m sure people would think twice about committing gun crimes if a date with “Old Sparky” was the consequence.

  • Mike

    Lot of dumb baseball players from below the Mason Dixie.  Doesn’t surprise me at all.  Merica! 

  • Anonymous

    Full Name: Bryce Brentz
    Born: 12/30/1988
    Birthplace: Knoxville, TN
    In short, another Redneck with a loaded weapon. God’s Gift to The Darwin Awards.

  • http://twitter.com/theHooHaagroove HooHaa

    The question no one is asking is why was his gun dirty in the first place?

  • Alketk

    wow,not big deal ,almost killed myself with a loaded gun,but I will be ok cause I’m lucky and not  dead.Idiot guy  is an understatement for this moron  !

  • Al

    I hope he is smarter on the field,than he is in life !

  • BlindToTheTruth

    too bad a good guy with a gun wasnt there

  • TheSpin

    So I guess everyone is just taking this story at face value? Speaking of dumb…

  • Al

     is there any other way of taking it ?

  • robzrantz

     Ha Ha , perfect. he should work in the front office….

  • robzrantz

     Bryce Brentz    Knoxville, TN.    Case Closed.

  • Guest

    No, Bryce.  It did not “accidentally discharge on you”.  You had a round in the chamber and pulled the trigger.  Guns don’t discharge on their own.

  • soxfan

    you are supposed to be smarter than the gun lol

  • Rhoadsgarrett

    Boom! goes your chances

  • Rhoadsgarrett

    Boom! goes your chances

  • Rhoadsgarrett

    Boom! goes your chances

  • Fubo

    He’s a liar, or a MORON.

  • Bruinman86

    His lack of common sense is disturbing.

  • Notacowboy

    No one with active brain cells ever cleans a loaded firearm! Not only can you not clean the weapon properly but as Bryce found out you can shoot yourself. Accidental discharge? I don’t really
    believe Bryce intended to shoot himself. Operator error is the root cause because guns cannot
    just decide to go off. Sorry Bryce you’re not a redneck, they know better!

  • gps man

    There is no such animal as “accidental” discharge of a firearm.

    The first thing a responsible firearm handler does is CLEAR THE WEAPON, you blithering idiot.

    Failure to CLEAR THE WEAPON is NEGLIGENCE.

    NEGLIGENCE is not an accident.

    That fact that you believe shooting yourself was an accident is overwhelming evidence you have no business with a firearm in the first place.

  • Knoxrick

    Maybe, but he’s still a good ball player. Ball players and regular people do stupid crap all the time, it doesn’t mean they are always stupid. And not all Tennesseans are rednecks or own guns.

  • http://www.facebook.com/derek.lee.82 Derek Lee

    Running through doors, shooting ourselves, hiring booby valentine, Brilliant people in town we have these days.

  • http://www.facebook.com/derek.lee.82 Derek Lee

    It shouldn’t have been loaded. Can’t excuse that.

  • Earl Keese

    to bad the bullet didn’t get him in the head, he might be in big league camp

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/A7ADR2L3KEDUOQUSV45MPHKZXE Dan

    LOL, chalk another one up to stupidity, not guns.

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/A7ADR2L3KEDUOQUSV45MPHKZXE Dan

    LOL, chalk another one up to stupidity, not guns.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Paul-Crowley/100001398780186 Paul Crowley

     Cleaning a loaded gun…dumbass!

  • Jaime29

    My initial reaction exactly. Do some people ever think

  • Xo45thvols

    Ah, you anti-gun nuts, you make me laugh. He’s at fault for not unloading the gun, nothing more. Any good gun safety course teaches you that before cleaning any weapon, make sure it’s unloaded. The funny thing is that more people are killed by baseball bats than guns. true fact, as reported by the FBI. So where’s the clamor for baseball bat registration?!? Why isn’t Dick’s Sporting good under investigation for having the AUDACITY toi sell these dangerous weapons to MINORS?!? Sheesh, calm down about guns you knuckleheads.

  • Luthorsteel

    It takes an astonishingly stupid person to do this. It probably qualifies him for congress.

  • Anonymous

    Shooting himself in the leg is “nothing serious”?!?

  • Liar.

    Total BS.  He was screwing around with a gun and he pulled the trigger.  You don’t ‘clean’ a loaded gun.  You don’t ‘clean’ an ASSEMBLED gun.  If this was a revolver, he wouldn’t have had the brains to check the cylinder.  Trust me, he wasn’t cleaning anything. He was being a moron.

  • Tonyfranco

    This is exactly what I thought.  NO ONE cleans an assembled gun, let alone a loaded one.  Particularly a pistol.

  • Ridickulousness

    Wow, this could not be more untrue…can anyone say “nra propaganda”?

  • leon

    Who do u like and why from the draft that the patriots just selected

  • Jason

    Is there still a chance of us getting John Abraham, or will the Collins pick end that conversation.

  • Roger Christie

    Since this was scheduled, I’m assuming it’s over by now, so….are we ever going to be able to read it, or is it forever going to be ‘at the limit set by the hose’?

  • http://twitter.com/NextOnTheTwit NextOnTheTwit

    I agree

  • Roger Christie

    Does anybody even work at WEEI anymore?

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