BASEBALL : DAILY REPORT : Frustrated Mike Marshall Walks Out of Red Sox Camp

Frustrated by the prospect of being a bench player with the Boston Red Sox, Mike Marshall walked out of camp Wednesday in Winter Haven, Fla., before the Red Sox beat the Cincinnati Reds, 9-4.

Marshall, who was not in the starting lineup, took batting practice before the game with the Red Sox substitutes. He then requested a meeting with Manager Joe Morgan.

“He told me he was thinking of walking out and I told him if he did, it would be insubordination,” Morgan said after the game. “But he elected to do it. It will be dealt with in an in-house manner. That’s all I have to say.”

Marshall could not be reached for comment. But his defection seemed almost inevitable since the off-season, when Boston re-signed Tom Brunansky to play right field, signed free agent Jack Clark to be the designated hitter and brought nonroster rookie Mo Vaughn to camp to fight for the first-base job.

Morgan tried to showcase Marshall for other teams, but Marshall initially put a crimp in those plans. He called in sick one day under mysterious circumstances--one day after privately telling two reporters he might purposefully miss a bus or do something else that would convince the Red Sox to release him.

Then he missed almost a week because of legitimate illness. But Marshall went on a tear when he finally got in the lineup. He leads the team in batting with a .464 average (13 for 28). He went four for four Tuesday against the Reds and vacillated between satisfaction and frustration.

“Hopefully, that will open some eyes,” he said after the game. Moments later, he looked depressed. He knew his playing time was about to decline because Brunansky was expected to return from toe injury. Brunansky moved into right field Wednesday and Marshall moved out of camp.