Aug 08, 2009 5:08 PM EST

In need of pitchers, the Red Sox may have to wait three weeks before Paul Byrd is ready to contribute.

Boston signed Byrd, who pitched for the Red Sox in 2008, as a free agent recently.

"Byrd might be three weeks away from being ready, [general manager] Theo [Epstein] said," Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Glove wrote on his Twitter page.

Via Twitter (Amalie Benjamin)