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BOSTON -- The Red Sox traded outfielder Mike Cameron and cash to the Florida Marlins in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Cameron, 38, was designated for assignment by the Red Sox on June 30 after appearing in 33 games this season, while batting .149 with 2 doubles, 3 home runs, 9 RBIs, 9 runs and 8 walks.

The veteran outfielder was signed by the Red Sox on Dec. 16, 2009. He spent the majority of last season with a groin/hernia injury and needed season-ending surgery last September. He finished the year hitting .259 with 4 homers and 15 RBIs in 48 games.

BOSTON -- Outfielder Mike Cameron is back in the Red Sox lineup for the first time since Opening Day, batting sixth and playing center field for Sunday night’s game against the Yankees.

With left-hander CC Sabathia pitching for the Yankees, manager Terry Francona said it made sense to insert Cameron, who bats right-handed, into the lineup over Jacoby Ellsbury.

This is new territory for the 38-year-old Cameron, who signed a two-year, $15.5 million contract with the Red Sox in 2010 envisioning the type of full-time role he’s played throughout his career. Yet when the team signed outfielder Carl Crawford this offseason, it bumped Cameron out of the everyday lineup.

Cameron’s locker in the Red Sox clubhouse, coincidentally, is next to Crawford’s.

“It’s an uphill challenge for me that I haven’t seen before,” Cameron said tonight, when asked of his role. “I’m just trying to go with it, see how it plays out, and stay ready and positive about all situations.”

Cameron, who got the call in right field for the season opener against Rangers left-hander C.J. Wilson, was 0-for-3 in that game. He entered the team’s 8-4 loss to the Indians on April 6 as a pinch-hitter and flied out to center.

Francona touched on Cameron before tonight’s game.

“I know he’s trying to [adjust to the role], and he’s doing it as professional as possible,” he said. “I don’t want him to sit very often because he’s going to be a big part of what we’re doing. Tonight seemed like a really good night to play him. Cam’s about as professional as you can be.”

BOSTON -- It’s the rubber game between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees tonight at Fenway Park.

It’s been a busy day here with the Red Sox and pitcher Clay Buchholz agreeing to a four-year extension worth $30.5 million, plus two option years in 2016 and 2017. Colleague Gordon Edes will have all the details on the signing from general manager Theo Epstein and Buchholz.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona said he’s thrilled for Buchholz and the club.

“It’s exciting, not only for the organization, but for Buck,” Francona said. “It’s nice to see, especially kids who have come through the organization and you’ve seen him through a lot of thick and thin. He was a young kid and we were getting after him about his arm strength, and all of a sudden he’s a wealthy young man. It’s exciting.”

As far as the game is concerned, Francona decided to start Mike Cameron in center field. The veteran outfielder is 8-for-16 in his career against Yankees starter CC Sabathia, while Jacoby Ellsbury is 1-for-13.

“I wanted to get Cam in there,” Francona said. “Ells hadn’t had a lot of success, and one through nine against a guy like Sabathia, you’re not going to have nine guys have their way with him because he’s one of the better pitchers in the game. I wanted to get Cam’s bat in there.”

The other change to the lineup is Jason Varitek, who will serve as Josh Beckett’s batterymate.

Varitek hasn’t had a lot of success against Sabathia (3-for-20), but Francona likes the switch-hitting catcher batting from the right side against the power lefty.

“I thought it was a good night to play him,” Francona said.

Fellow Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia is 2-for-7 against Sabathia.

UPDATE: Alex Rodriguez was a late scratch for the Yankees as he was suffering from flu-like symptoms. Eric Chavez will play third and bat eighth, with Robinson Cano sliding up to the clean-up spot.

The lineups:

NEW YORK
1. Brett Gardner, LF
2. Derek Jeter, SS
3. Mark Teixeira, 1B
4. Robinson Cano, 2B
5. Nick Swisher, RF
6. Jorge Posada, DH
7. Curtis Granderson, CF
8. Eric Chavez, 3B
9. Russell Martin, C

LHP: CC Sabathia

BOSTON
1. Carl Crawford, LF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
4. Kevin Youkilis, 3B
5. David Ortiz, DH
6. Mike Cameron, CF
7. J.D. Drew, RF
8. Jason Varitek, C
9. Marco Scutaro, SS

RHP: Josh Beckett

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Red Sox outfielder Mike Cameron is showing signs that he’s healthy and ready to contribute.

Cameron was limited to 48 games in 2010 because of an abdominal strain and had season-ending surgery last September to repair the damage. His offseason rehab went well and he arrived at camp in good shape. He served as the DH against Northeastern on Saturday and started in center field in the first Grapefruit League game against the Twins on Sunday night at Hammond Stadium.

He went 1-for-3 and stole his first base of the spring. Defensively, he was running around the outfield with ease and tracking down the ball.

“That was the exciting part of the night,” manager Terry Francona said after the Sox’s 8-4 loss. “His stride looks good and that was the most exciting thing of the night for me. He’s worked really hard. He looks like he’s free and easy moving around, which is really good.”

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- There’s a difference between anticipating that your name will come up in trade talks and either pushing for a trade or wanting one to happen.

Red Sox outfielder Mike Cameron imagines the Red Sox may receive a few inquiries about his availability this spring. At $7.25 million, he is drawing a salary commensurate to a starting outfielder, not a fourth outfielder, which is what his role is projected to be with the Sox this season.

But Cameron is not pushing for a trade, nor hoping that one happens.

“Why would I want to be traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks to play every day and miss out on the opportunity here?” Cameron asked at training camp Monday. “And why would I want to go somewhere else for the same role that I have here?

This is Cameron’s 15th full season in the big leagues. Every year that he has played since 1997, he has come into the season as an everyday player. He played just 76 games for the New York Mets after a horrific collision with Carlos Beltran in the outfield, and last season he was limited to 48 games with the Red Sox after tearing an abdominal muscle.

When the Sox signed Cameron to a two-year deal prior to the 2010 season, the plan was for him to become the full-time center fielder, with Jacoby Ellsbury moving to left, though Terry Francona had left open the possibility of switching the pair at some stage of the season. The original plan never materialized, as both Cameron and Ellsbury were injured.

Now Cameron comes back as an extra. “This is uncharted territory for me, too,’’ he said.

But he is happy with the way his body has responded so far in camp -- “I’m feeling the usual soreness,’’ he said -- and is prepared to get the majority of his at-bats in right field, facing lefties when J.D. Drew sits, and in center when he spells Ellsbury.

He does not expect to serve as DH, and Terry Francona over the weekend had said that Kevin Youkilis would probably DH, with Jed Lowrie playing third.

“But I’m happy right here,’’ he said. “I tried to get back to Atlanta [his hometown] for four years, and that never happened, so I don’t even think about that anymore.’’

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- He arrived around 8:15 a.m. in a black Mercedes, Texas plates and tinted windows, and was dropped off at the front door of the Red Sox training facility. Carl Crawford was in town.

What does he bring to the team?

“Carl?’’ said Mike Cameron, the returning outfielder who also was present and accounted for on the reporting date for position players. “Sheeee, about damn near 200 million dollars.

“You’ve seen him enough. You know what he brings to the table. He adds another element to the ball club. He adds more juice -- I guess I shouldn’t use that word -- he adds a great element to the club because he is able do everything. There’s not one way the guy can’t beat you.’’

It was a morning for introductions and hugs between teammates who had not seen each other in months. David Ortiz, wearing a T-shirt that said “I Still (Heart) White People,” busied himself with dressing his son, D’Angelo, in a full Sox uniform, L’il Papi beating Big Papi to the cages for his first swings.

Darnell McDonald climbed over a couple of chairs to break through the media scrum to say hello to Crawford, with whom he’d trained in Arizona in the past. Crawford, whose locker was adjacent to Cameron’s, was allowed to dress in peace, team publicist Pam Ganley dictating that his first session with the media would take place on Friday.

Infielder Jed Lowrie walked in and greeted his fellow Oregonian, Jacoby Ellsbury. Cuban shortstop Jose Iglesias had a special reason to be excited Thursday. His father, Candelario, whom he had thought would be allowed to come here from Cuba in a month, had left early. There was a chance, Iglesias said, that his father would be there to watch him practice that morning.

“T!” Cameron called out in response to a shouted hello from manager Terry Francona. “I’m holding court, man. I don’t know why.’’

Cameron, it turns out, had played an active role in the recruitment of Crawford, even though his arrival meant Cameron would become no better than the fourth outfielder on this team. As far back as October, Cameron said, he had talked to Crawford about coming here.

“We just talked about what it was like playing in Boston from the other side,’’ Cameron said. “He made a choice to come to one of the best teams in baseball to add to what we already had here.

“I was just like a college recruiter,’’ agreeing with a reporter who suggested that analogy. “Tell him about the positives, let him figure out what he wanted to do. My experiences, the things that might change for him. I definitely think it will be something he will enjoy.’’

Cameron said he appreciated that general manager Theo Epstein called him even before Crawford signed to inform him of what was happening. With Cameron turning 38 in January and coming off surgery for an abdominal tear, there was little doubt that the Red Sox would be adding an outfielder.

Cameron, who said he had undergone physical therapy five days a week, three hours a day, from the beginning of September to the beginning of February, said he is comfortable with his diminished role.

“I just showed up here because we have a good team over here,’’ he said. “Josh Beckett says we’re going for 100 games [wins] so I decided to show up and see if I can be a part of it.’’

He also acknowledged the possibility that another team seeking outfield help would inquire about him. At $7.25 million, he is well above the scale for an extra outfielder, and, healthy, could probably still play on a more regular basis.

“I’m sure that’s going to take place,’’ he said. “It’s the last thing on my mind. I know there’s a possibility of that taking place but as of now I know I’m here.’’

He said he feels good physically (“Hopefully, my ‘old man’ doesn’t kick in for awhile”). How much was he able to work out?

“I ain’t had no time to work out,’’ he said. “I’ve been changing diapers and fixing oatmeal.’’

A few loose ends from the Fort:

*Terry Francona said that while he will use Mike Cameron in right field to spell J.D. Drew, especially against some left-handers, he doesn’t expect to use Cameron as a backup in left field, where he has played just a handful of games. That would seem to mean that Darnell McDonald, the favorite to be the team’s fifth outfielder, will get a chance to spell Crawford there. Cameron will also play some center field.

*The Sox held their conditioning drills inside, even on a cloudless day Monday, and have elected not to use the 300-yard shuttle as a test of a player’s condition, which is something of a spring tradition. Francona said that with so many players coming back from injury, the team decided it was more prudent to use the drill just as a conditioning tool later in the week.

*Francona also said that pitchers will throw an extra bullpen session before facing live hitting, a routine preferred by new pitching coach Curt Young. Most pitchers will now throw two bullpens and two sessions of live BP before pitching in a game.

*Hot-shot shortstop prospect Jose Iglesias was among Monday’s arrivals, and he happily told reporters that his father has been given permission to leave Cuba and join him soon.

*Ex-Yankee Alfredo Aceves also was in camp Monday, but may have to leave to resolve visa issues in Miami.

*John Lackey paid a huge compliment to teammate Jon Lester. “Lester, in my mind, is the best in the game, to be honest with you,’’ Lackey said.

Part 4 of a 10-day series on Red Sox questions that will be answered during spring training.

BOSTON -- As a two-for-one promotion, this is one the Red Sox prefer they hadn’t given their fans last season: Go to a Sox game, see the PawSox, too.

Twenty-one of Pawtucket’s players appeared in the big leagues for the Red Sox last season, as that I-95 shuttle between McCoy Stadium and Fenway Park was as popular last summer as the Provincetown Ferry.

Fifteen rookies played for the Sox last season, second behind Detroit (16) among AL teams. On Sept. 13 in Seattle, the Sox had an all-rookie starting outfield -- Daniel Nava, Ryan Kalish and Josh Reddick -- their first since 1987 (Mike Greenwell, Ellis Burks, Todd Benzinger). A week earlier, the Sox started three players under the age of 23 -- Lars Anderson, Kalish, and Yamaico Navarro -- for the first time since 1980 (Glenn Hoffman, Reid Nichols and Chico Walker).

Manager Terry Francona wrote the names of 25 different players as starters in the No. 9 hole on his lineup card. That includes pitchers in interleague games, so we’ll cite the 8-spot, too: 14 different players.

All of which serves as introduction to a discussion of the Sox bench entering this season, as part of our 10-part countdown to spring training, as well as the importance of organizational depth. in a season in which injuries ravage a team’s 25-man roster.

A year ago at this time, Darnell McDonald was just another journeyman minor leaguer with an invitation to big-league camp. Even after his spectacular Sox debut last April, in which he hit a game-tying pinch-hit home run and then delivered a walk-off single an inning later to beat the Rangers, the Sox were prepared to cut ties with McDonald, informing him during a May trip to play Tampa Bay that he was being designated for assignment.

Instead, the Sox discovered Jacoby Ellsbury had not recovered from his fractured ribs, they held on to McDonald, and he wound up playing in a career-high 117 games. He was the only player to appear in at least 30 games (with 10 or more starts) at all three outfield positions, and led the AL with a .429 average as a pinch hitter (6 for 14).

After a dozen years in the minors, McDonald may hardly feel he has job security, but this spring he comes to camp as the favorite to be retained as the team’s fifth outfielder. And it’s possible he could take on added importance if another team shows interest in Mike Cameron, who is being paid like a starter ($7.25 million) and may have value elsewhere as one, even at age age 38, especially if he proves he’s fully recovered from a torn abdominal muscle.

Cameron and McDonald both can play all three outfield positions -- Cameron as a three-time Gold Glove Award winner and McDonald with average skills and a throwing arm that accounted for a team-leading nine assists last season -- and also can serve as right-handed bats off the bench. Cameron hit .357 (15 for 42) with 3 home runs against lefties, while McDonald hit .294 (45 for 153) with 4 home runs. Their presence virtually assures a return to the minor leagues for more seasoning for Ryan Kalish and Josh Reddick, who potentially will be competing in 2012 for the right-field spot likely to be vacated by J.D. Drew, whose contract expires after this season. It also leaves no room here for Daniel Nava, who hit a storybook home run -- a grand slam on the first big-league pitch he saw -- then did not hit another homer in 160 more big-league at-bats.

With Jason Varitek re-signed for a 14th season to split time at catcher with Jarrod Saltalamacchia, that leaves prospects like Mark Wagner, Luis Exposito and Ryan Lavarnway in a holding pattern in their trek to the big leagues. Wagner missed considerable time last season with a fractured bone in his left hand and subsequent wrist problems.

The other player expected to start the season on the bench could have the biggest role of all: Jed Lowrie, who after losing nearly two full seasons to wrist woes and the first half of last season to mononucleosis displayed all the skills that had him once pegged as the Sox shortstop of the future.

Francona attempted to cut off any brewing controversy by declaring Marco Scutaro will start at short this season. With defensive whiz Jose Iglesias no more than a year away, Lowrie’s greatest value to the club may well be in the role they envision for him: as a super-utility guy who can play all four infield positions. He posted a .907 OPS last season, hitting a career-best 9 home runs in just 171 at-bats. Being a switch-hitter only heightens his appeal in that role, and with Scutaro needing to show he’s over a pinched nerve in his neck and strained rotator cuff in his shoulder, and Dustin Pedroia coming off a fractured left foot, Lowrie could receive plenty of playing time.

Part 2 of a 10-day series on Red Sox questions that will be answered during spring training.

BOSTON -- OK, so what do Boof Bonser, who pitched twice for the Red Sox last season before being released, and infielder Jed Lowrie have in common?

Answer: They were the first two players placed on the disabled list by the Sox last season -- Bonser with a groin strain, Lowrie with mononucleosis. That was on March 31. Before the season opener, two more players went on the DL: pitchers Daisuke Matsuzaka (neck strain) and Junichi Tazawa (elbow surgery).

It was the start of a season-killing trend. Before it was over, the Sox had placed 19 players on the DL, used the DL 24 times, and lost 1,018 games to players on the list. Six players that were on Terry Francona’s Opening Day lineup card wound up on the DL: the starting battery, pitcher Josh Beckett and catcher Victor Martinez; the leadoff man, Jacoby Ellsbury; the 2008 MVP, Dustin Pedroia; the cleanup hitter, Kevin Youkilis; and the new center fielder, Mike Cameron. And we’re not talking garden-variety, 15-day stints, either. Martinez missed the least time, 22 games. Everybody else named missed at least 40 games, Ellsbury holding the dubious distinction of missing the most time among the first-day starters, 140 games in three different stints on the DL.

So, a note of caution amidst the giddiness as spring training approaches: Health, in all its unpredictability, always is a threat to wreck the best-laid plans. In the second of our 10-day countdown to camp, here are the players coming back from injuries that the Sox will be watching most closely this spring:

• Adrian Gonzalez. The newly acquired first baseman underwent surgery last October to repair a torn labrum in his right (non-throwing) shoulder, began rehabbing a couple of weeks later, and reports a significant improvement in his range of motion. He has begun playing catch, but says he doesn’t expect to be swinging a bat until the beginning of March. If he is able to play games by March 20, he said, he should be ready for the season opener April 1 in Texas. But everyone will exercise prudence here -- Gonzalez has a long-term contract extension dependent on his recovery.

• Josh Beckett. Beckett has had back issues that caused him to miss time in each of the last three seasons, including 56 games after slipping on a wet Yankee Stadium mound last May. Concerns about his health did not preclude the Sox from signing him to a four-year, $68 million contract extension last April, and GM Theo Epstein repeatedly has said he expects Beckett to be highly motivated and reporting to camp in prime condition. Beckett turns 31 on May 15 and is beginning his 11th season in the big leagues, so staying in good shape takes on added importance.

• Jacoby Ellsbury. A maddening situation for both the player and the team’s medical staff, Ellsbury went on the DL three times after an April 11 collision with third baseman Adrian Beltre left him with fractured ribs. Ellsbury expressed considerable frustration with his diagnosis and care, putting the medical staff in a position of having to defend itself, which it didn’t appreciate. Epstein, however, never wavered in his public support of the player and quickly settled his arbitration case, and all indications are that Ellsbury is ready to reclaim his spot at the top of the order. The Sox training staff visited him in Arizona, where he is working out, and gave him a clean bill of health. He is already swinging a bat, throwing and doing other baseball activities, a close associate said, adding, “He’s feeling great.’’

• Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis. Pedroia (fractured left foot) and Youkilis (torn adductor muscle in his right thumb) are both on schedule for camp; Youkilis believes he could have played if the Sox had made the playoffs and advanced deep into October.

• Mike Cameron. The center fielder passed a kidney stone days into the season, then was discovered shortly thereafter to have a torn abdominal muscle that ultimately required surgery and caused him to miss 93 games over two DL stints. Cameron will be restriction-free when he reports to camp, according to his agent, Mike Nicotera.

“Mike was just in Boston where he worked out for [the Red Sox],’’ Nicotera wrote in an e-mail. “He ran 17 100-yard sprints, and felt great. And he said he feels "free" again swinging the bat. He's anxious to get to spring training. There will be no restrictions on him.’’

Still, Cameron turned 38 on Jan. 8, so the Sox will be eager to see how much he has left physically.

• Marco Scutaro. One of Scutaro’s most remarkable achievements in his first season with the Red Sox was avoiding going on the DL. He was bothered all season with a pinched nerve in his neck that caused numbness in his left elbow and required multiple cortisone injections. He also had an irritated rotator cuff muscle in his throwing shoulder. Scutaro was placed on a rehab program for his shoulder, and the Sox hoped that rest would help alleviate the nerve condition, but, like Cameron, Scutaro is older (35) so the cumulative effect of his injuries takes its toll. The Red Sox won't know until Scutaro undergoes his physical at the start of camp whether they will be an issue this season, according to a club source.

• Bobby Jenks. A free-agent addition to the Red Sox bullpen, Jenks missed the better part of a month near the end of last season with inflammation of the ulnar nerve in his throwing elbow (ulnar neuritis). He had surgery on the elbow in 2004 (a pin was inserted) but nothing major since. The Sox found nothing abnormal during his physical prior to his signing with the club.

There’s always a chance, a club source said, that the club will elect to take it slowly with one or more of these players (besides the obvious constraints for Gonzalez), but as of now, there are no plans to do so.

Coming Wednesday: Will Jarrod Saltalamacchia be the team's No. 1 catcher, or will it be a Jason Varitek/Salty split?

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein is thinking about a possible upgrade in the outfield for the 2011 season, and he could make a transaction during the winter meetings.

The notion that the Red Sox would lose interest in outfielder Carl Crawford simply because their recent acquisition of slugging first-baseman Adrian Gonzalez dwindled the bank account simply isn’t true. Even though Gonzalez is a member of the Red Sox, he did not sign an extension yet, so Epstein has some wiggle room. The Red Sox were also interested in Jayson Werth before he signed with the Nationals.

Epstein said Monday that he would explore the possibility of adding an outfielder, so the position could be in flux. Incumbent outfielder Mike Cameron, who missed most of last season with a torn abdominal muscle, acknowledged recently that if the Red Sox signed another outfielder he would find himself on the bench.

“The Red Sox have the ability, the luxury of going and getting who they feel like they think is going to help them ball,” the 37-year-old Cameron said. “My situation, I’m not a first-year player, I know what takes place. I also understand I’m under contract and I also understand that as my career is winding down that they’re going to make sure they have proper guys who can possibly play.

“If they got somebody, or whatever it may be, obviously they don’t have to come to me and say anything. I guess, out of respect because I’ve been playing so long, they’ll sit down with me and tell me what the plans are and we’ll move forward after that. The good thing is I’m still under contract. We’ll see how it plays out, and see where I shape up as far as being on the 25-man roster.”

Cameron is scheduled to make $7.25 million in the final year of a two-year contract.

It’s not a lock that the Red Sox add an outfielder. Epstein indicated that if the deal wasn’t right, he’d be comfortable heading into the season with their current core of outfielders: Cameron, Jacoby Ellsbury, J.D. Drew and a still-developing Ryan Kalish.

“There’s been a lot of talk about our outfield and we’ve talked about it internally,” Epstein said. “I feel like if we brought back the same group, we’d be OK.”

Still, Epstein explained there is some benefit to bringing the right player into the mix for a couple of reasons.

“It would allow us some time for some of our outfielders development paths to take hold, provide more depth for guys who are coming off injury, and might provide a better mix against right or lefthanded pitching,” he said.

The GM admitted that if he added an outfielder, it could be more of a complementary piece than a big splash.

Cameron was limited to only 48 games in 2010, hitting .259 with four homers and 15 RBI. He finally decided to shut it down and had surgery in September to repair the damage in his abdominal area. His rehab is going well and he says he’ll be ready for spring training.

“Everything’s good. It’s long and slow,” he said. “I’m just trying to get to a point where everything is going in motion.”

Cameron knows once January rolls around he’ll be healthy and well rested and will be able to begin to ramp up his offseason routine in preparation for spring training.

“I’m getting stronger,” he said. “Everything is getting back to normal. I’m not 100 percent, but I’m pretty close to it.”

Prior to signing with the Red Sox, Cameron made it clear he wanted to be the team’s every day center fielder. He still hopes that can happen, but he also realizes that, when healthy, his role could change in 2011 if Epstein acquires another outfielder or chooses to put Ellsbury in center.

At this point, Cameron’s only focus is spring training.

“I know I have to go out and play ball and play well,” he said. “It always works out, one way or the other. I’m looking at the positive side. I always look for the positive.”

Red Sox manager Terry Francona, who has always been a big fan of Cameron as a player and a person, hopes to see him in the outfield every day next season.

"We signed Cam to play," Francona said. "He had a miserable year health wise last year. From all accounts, he's working hard and he's doing really well. So, I guess I can see Cam playing every day. Who knows. That's why I don't need to get too far ahead of myself. I think it's easy to forget that a guy's a good player when he's injured and out for a while. I think we still view him that way."

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Red Sox outfielder Mike Cameron had successful surgery Friday at Massachusetts General Hospital to repair a bilateral sports hernia.

Cameron dealt with the injury all season and should be recovered in time to begin his normal offseason workouts around Dec. 1, according to Red Sox manager Terry Francona.

“They said it was very obvious he needed the surgery,” Francona said. “Everything went well, but he needed it. He should have a normal offseason. I’m not talking about Oct. 1, but around Dec. 1, which is when he starts his offseason. It will be pretty normal, which is good.”

BOSTON -- The Red Sox and Mike Cameron have decided the outfielder will have season-ending surgery on Friday at Massachusetts General Hospital to repair an abdominal tear.

The 37-year-old center fielder has been playing with the injury for the majority of the season, and the emergence of rookie outfielder Ryan Kalish allows Cameron a chance to be healthy and ready for 2011.

“I’m a little nervous, obviously, but I’m excited to go ahead and take care of things that will allow me to feel a lot better and be able to move around a lot better and get ready to start looking forward to ’11, God willing,” Cameron said before Tuesday's game with the Seattle Mariners was rained out.

Cameron played a total of 48 games in his first season with the Red Sox and posted a .259 average with four homers and 15 RBIs.

His contributions did not go unnoticed by his teammates or manager Terry Francona.

“We appreciate him trying. He’s at a point in his career where he really wanted to, it meant a lot to him to try to be a part of what we’re doing,” Francona said. “But at the same time, felt like we got to a certain point that, rather than muddle through September, and he was in agreement with us that it would have been the wrong thing to do to try to continue to do this."

Because injuries to outfielders Jacoby Ellsbury and Jeremy Hermida earlier in the season limited Boston’s depth at the position, Cameron battled through his pain and discomfort to play the best he could. He said he doesn’t regret playing and doesn’t think he should have shut it down earlier.

“No, man. I have no regrets on nothing other than a regret that I’m not getting an opportunity to go out and still continue to be in the trenches with the fellas,” he said. “Other than that, like I said before, I’ve given every ounce of me to this ballclub, to my mind and everybody else, so I have nothing to look back upon in a negative light other than that I wish I could have been at full health to be able to go out and run around like a wild horse.”

Cameron said he’s content with the timing of the decision.

“Considering what I’ve been through, yeah, there will be a little bit of relief -- a little more pain for a few days, but it should be well worth it considering the pain I’ve already been through all year,” he said.

Also on Tuesday, the Red Sox activated catcher Kevin Cash (hamstring) from the disabled list. Catcher Dusty Brown was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket to make room on the roster.

BOSTON -- Mike Cameron, who told ESPNBoston.com Tuesday night that he was reluctantly shutting down, will undergo season-ending surgery, manager Terry Francona confirmed Wednesday.

Cameron has played all season with an abdominal tear, which was diagnosed two weeks into the season, just a couple of days after he passed a kidney stone. The injury limited him to just 48 games. Cameron also said he had a hip flexor and groin injury related to his original injury.

The decision to have surgery, Francona said, came after he and GM Theo Epstein spoke with the player Tuesday night, and Epstein had a follow-up conversation with Cameron’s agent, Mike Nicotera, on Wednesday.

Francona said that Cameron intended to consult several doctors before electing a time and place to have surgery. The manager said he did not know how extensive the surgery would be, but hoped that Cameron would be ready for spring training.

"We got to the point with Cam where going farther was going to bite into a chunk of next year,’’ Francona said. “He tried his best. It was getting a little hard for him. He’s disappointed, but I think this is the right thing to do.

“He was fighting an uphill fight. He just couldn’t do what he wanted to do. He’d be out there in the seventh inning, not knowing if he could make a play.’’

Cameron began experiencing discomfort in the area during spring training.

BOSTON -- Boston Red Sox outfielder Mike Cameron, who has played in only 48 of the team’s 120 games this season because of an abdominal tear and additional complications, said Tuesday night that he does not expect to play again the rest of the season.

Cameron said there is a conference call scheduled for Wednesday with general manager Theo Epstein and his agent, Mike Nicotera, in which they intend to discuss a timetable for surgery to repair the torn muscle. Cameron was placed on the disabled list on Aug. 2 (retroactive to July 31), and it was hoped that rest and treatment would permit him to return to action.

But his body has not responded as well as he had hoped, Cameron said. Besides the abdominal tear, he said he is also dealing with a groin strain and hip flexor.

“We’re in a position now where we need all of the healthy -- physically and mentally -- guys possible playing in the field,’’ he said. “Me trying to play 65 percent is probably not beneficial to the ballclub at moment.

“We’re coming to the part of season now where it’s important to have the healthiest guys on the baseball field. I’m looking at that aspect. Sometimes, as hard as it’s been to give in to certain things, it’s probably best to start looking at other options now.’’

Cameron said that it makes sense to have surgery as soon as possible to ensure that he’ll be ready for spring training next season. “If I’m not ready [by spring training], I’ll be damn near close,’’ he said.

Cameron has played hurt since the team’s first road trip of the season, when he passed a kidney stone after a game in Minnesota on April 15. The abdominal tear was discovered a couple of days later back in Boston. He went on the disabled list for the first time on April 20 (retroactive to April 19) and missed 34 games before being activated on May 25. Even then, it was clear he was never right, and played in as many as five consecutive games only once after his return.

He played eight times in a 10-day span at the end of July, but that put him back on the DL.

“Probably the worst thing for me is to have the [pain] threshold I have,’’ he said. “But man, we worked so hard just to be at this point as a team. I always look at it from a team aspect, even though everybody is saying, don’t look at it from the team aspect, look at it from the individual aspect.

“But now, from the aspect of looking at the baseball club, I don’t feel like it would be as helpful to the team to try to be a hero.’’

Cameron’s acknowledgment that he is done for the year came on the same day that an industry source told ESPNBoston.com that tests performed in Los Angeles revealed that outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury has a fractured rib and, according to the source, probably will miss the rest of the season.

Manager Terry Francona said Tuesday that rookie Ryan Kalish likely will get the majority of time in center field; in Tuesday’s 6-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels, Kalish hit his first major-league grand slam.

“Are you serious?’’ Cameron said when told of Ellsbury’s rib condition. “Wow.

“That’s hard. It’s been a hard year, man, for this ballclub. At the same time, there have been so many guys -- the Cinderella Man over there in the corner [Darnell McDonald], [Daniel Nava come up and do his thing, Kalish in a short time has been able to shine and show people he is able to play. And don’t forget this guy [Bill Hall] right here.’’

Cameron said the way that the club has overcome so many setbacks has made it hard for him to withdraw from the season.

“Other than the people in this clubhouse, we’ve been beat like a dead horse sometimes,’’ he said. “We’ve been on our ninth life support, but somehow or another we keep finding a way to keep our heads above the water line.

“I’m really thinking it’s coming down to the last week and a half, two weeks. We’ve had a rope to hang ourselves and we’ve still been able to manage. That’s what’s been special about this club. It’s been a special year. You look at all the guys who have been hurt, but it’s still been a special year because of things guys have done, so many guys doing big things.’’

That’s what has made it a special season, he said, with a chance of a surprise ending.

“If you allow a team of this caliber to hang around, a team that has this pedigree of being able to win, who knows what type of experience it may bring going down the stretch.’’

But reluctantly, Cameron’s focus for himself must shift to 2011.

“Yeah,’’ he said with a smile, “although a lot of people don’t like it, I've still got one more year here, you know.’’

Cameron, who will turn 38 on Jan. 8, signed a two-year, $15.5 million contract with the Red Sox last December, when Epstein believed Cameron would make a significant impact on the team’s outfield defense, with Ellsbury moving from center to left. With both players hurt within the season’s first two weeks, no one ever saw how that plan might have worked out.

Maybe in 2011?

“If that’s in the plans,’’ he said. “I don’t know what’s in store for next year. Who knows? But I’ll be here next year.’’

BOSTON -- It wouldn’t be the Red Sox without a little roster shuffling.

Second baseman Dustin Pedroia, of course, was activated, after an absence of 44 games, which is one more game than the Sox have left to play. The team was 23-21 while he was out. To make room for him on the roster, the Sox optioned left-handed reliever Dustin Richardson back to Pawtucket, the club informing him before they left Texas on Sunday night.

The surprise Tuesday was to see outfielder Daniel Nava in the Sox clubhouse for the third time this season. Nava was recalled to take the place of outfielder Eric Patterson, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list with the dreaded strain neck. That injury apparently occurred when Patterson slept badly on the flight back from Texas, according to manager Terry Francona.

Francona acknowledged that just as in the case of catcher Kevin Cash (hamstring), the injury wasn’t believed to be serious enough to keep Patterson idle for the full 15 days, but the club didn’t want to be caught shorthanded.

Nava has played in a total of 30 games in two separate roster stints, the second lasting just two days.

Francona said he expects rookie Ryan Kalish will receive the majority of playing time in center field in the immediate future. Jacoby Ellsbury was in Los Angeles having his ribs examined by Dr. Lewis Yocum, while Mike Cameron is progressing to the point, Francona said, that he plans to sit down with the player and map out the next step, presumably a rehab assignment.