BALTIMORE -- At 36 years old and now with his seventh major league organization, Scott Podsednik knows you can never predict the future.
"I've been around enough to know that you just never know," said Podsednik, who joined the Red Sox Tuesday, his contract purchased from Pawtucket as the Sox ran short of outfielders. "One day, you wake up in Lehigh Valley, a few days later, you wake up in Pawtucket, a few days later you wake up in Baltimore.
"That's the way games works sometime."
As it was, Podsednik's first day with the Red Sox was filled with intrigue. He arrived from Pawtucket Tuesday morning, but wasn't officially activated until an hour before gametime as the Red Sox waited to hear about Cody Ross.
When Ross was placed on the DL, retroactive to last Saturday, the roster spot for Podsednik was opened up.
"I'm ready for whatever that may be," he said of his role. "I want to try to fit in and gel with the chemistry of the club here. We're all trying to accomplish the same goal and win every night."
Podsednik played with Los Angeles and Kansas City in 2010, then spent all of last year in the minors. He was struggling with Lehigh Valley earlier this season, then hit .323 in nine games with Pawtucket.
Boston Red Sox
"I still feel like I have something left in the tank," he said. "I just turned 36. That's old for a leadoff hitter or a runner, but I'm healthy. I feel great. I'm as strong as I've ever been. I still feel like I can make an impact at this level. The competitive fires are still burning, so I wanted to try to give it another shot.
"I felt, given the right opportunity, I might be able to make it happen. You have to be at the right place at the right time, obviously. Fortunately, I've got that here. I'll try to take advantage of that opportunity and try to help this club win some games."
Podsednik feels comfortable in left and center, and less so in right.
"I haven't seen him firsthand in a long time," confessed Bobby Valentne. "Arnie (Beyeler) gave me a nice report on him as a teammate, his running ability, defensive ability, where he should and shouldn't play, how's he swinging the bat. So I think I have a pretty good image of him and I think he can help us."