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

The bullet went into Brentz's left leg and out the other side, according to Cherington. The 24-year-old Brentz, who was a nonroster invitee to big league camp, was "lucky" not to have suffered a more significant injury, the GM 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.

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

Brentz was a first-round draft pick by the Red Sox in 2010. He hit a combined .290 with 17 home runs and 76 RBIs last season in Double-A and Triple-A.

Brentz posted a message Saturday on Twitter saying he would return to full practice Monday.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.