Red Sox claim Tigers' Damon on waivers

The Red Sox are waiting to see if the hard feelings over Johnny Damon's departure from Boston in December 2005 will prevent the outfielder from approving a return for the final six weeks of this season.

The Tigers told Damon Monday that he had been claimed on waivers by the Red Sox. But Damon has a partial no-trade clause included in the one-year, $8-million contract he signed last winter, and Boston is on the list of clubs he can veto.

Damon, 36, has until Wednesday afternoon to make a decision. After he went 2-for-4 in last night's 12-3 victory over the Royals at Comerica Park, Damon said: "My teammates are making this decision easier by saying they want me to stay. My gut and everything else tells me that Detroit's the place for me."

But Damon said before the game that the broken relationship with Boston's fans has "absolutely" left a scar on his psyche. He knows accepting a move back to the Red Sox could fix that, especially if he could help them reach the playoffs. "If I do this, and we pulled everything together and I could help them get into the postseason,'' he said, "it would change everything again."

The Red Sox are down two starting outfielders with Jacoby Ellsbury (broken rib) and Mike Cameron (abdominal surgery) likely out for the season. But Damon has been mostly a DH this season, playing only 36 games in the outfield. He is hitting .272 with seven home runs and 41 RBIs.

Damon is due roughly $1.8 million for the rest of the season. Despite their outfield needs, it was not immediately clear if the Red Sox truly wanted Damon or used the move to block their AL East rivals. The Red Sox are 5½ games behind the division-leading Yankees.

Damon, 36, was wildly popular in Boston for helping to end the 86-year Curse of the Bambino with a World Series victory in 2004. But after the 2005 season, the Red Sox refused to buckle to his contract demands and he jumped to the Yankees. Damon bolted this past winter after another contract staredown with the Yankees, but he was received warmly in the Bronx during the Tigers' visit last week.

The news that Damon could wind up in Boston - and spice up the playoff races - intrigued the Yankees.

"I'm not sure what Johnny's going to do," manager Joe Girardi said in Toronto. "Johnny was part of a world championship there. Seemed to be really appreciated by the fans there. I guess he has the option not to go, so you just kind of wait and see."

With Erik Boland and AP