Joey Gathright, who posted .263/.327/.303 numbers over 445 games in six major league seasons with the Rays, Royals, Cubs and Red Sox before playing independent league ball this summer with the independent-league Yuma Scorpions, is returning to play with Boston, according to Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe:

Gathright, 30, played 17 games for the Red Sox in 2009 after being obtained from Baltimore on Aug. 29 and was on the playoff roster [as] a pinch runner. The same could be true this year.

Gathright hasn't been in the majors since 2009. He has 80 career steals.

Gathright would have to be added to the 40-man roster today in order to be part of the pool of players eligible for postseason play. He's headed to the minors, at least temporarily, according to ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes:

We've confirmed Sox have purchased the contract of Joey Gathright; he'll report to Triple A Had been playing independent ball

I would be remiss if I didn't include in this brief note about Gathright the video of him jumping over a Mitsubishi Galant and a BMW, apparently in the parking lot of his spring-training hotel in 2002: