FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Boston Red Sox outfield prospect Bryce Brentz accidentally shot himself in the leg while cleaning a handgun, general manager Ben Cherington said Saturday morning.

The incident occurred a couple of weeks ago, Cherington told a group of reporters here Saturday morning. The outfield prospect, who is here in town and was to have been a nonroster invitee to big league camp, was "lucky," Cherington said.

"He was at home cleaning a gun and it accidentally went off,'' Cherington said. "Fortunately for him, it's something he's going to recover from and be fine, and it won't affect his baseball career.

"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. 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."

Brentz, 24, could play in a game before the end of spring training, Cherington said.