BOSTON — The phrasing is all so clinical, precise verbiage that all means the same thing: A ballplayer on the move. Steve Pearce experienced all of these designations in 2012 alone: released, signed as a free agent, purchased, selected off waivers. He bounced from the Minnesota Twins to the Yankees to the Baltimore Orioles to the Houston Astros, then back to the Yankees and the Orioles again. His Yankees career lasted just 12 games, and he hit .160.

“It went by fast, but I do have memories,” Pearce said late Thursday at Fenway Park, after his best day in the major leagues. “What I remember most are the guys in the clubhouse. It was a very, very stacked team when I played there. I was just looking around, I was like: ‘Hall of Famer, Hall of Famer, Hall of Famer. Where do I even fit in on this team?’”

Pearce fits in snugly now with the Boston Red Sox, as a platoon first baseman who devours left-handed pitching — and some right-handers, too. He launched three homers and drove in six runs in Thursday’s 15-7 victory over the Yankees, his first three-homer game at any level.

“I’m proud of him,” said Alex Cora, the Red Sox manager. “His role, it’s not easy. But he understands where he’s at, why we brought him here.”