BOSTON -- Knuckleballer Steven Wright, who was an All-Star in 2016 but spent most of his time either injured or suspended the last three seasons, was released by the Red Sox on Friday.

Rather than wait until the non-tender deadline of Dec. 2 to make a decision on Wright, who had one more season of arbitration-eligibility, the Red Sox acted on Friday and created a spot on the 40-man roster.

The 35-year-old Wright is now a free agent.

The Red Sox acquired Wright from the Indians for Lars Anderson on July 31, 2012.

Anderson never played in the Major Leagues again after the trade while Wright was a contributor for Boston when he was able to stay healthy, going 24-16 with a 3.86 ERA in 81 games, 44 of them starts.

Injuries weren’t the only thing that held Wright back the last couple of years. At the start of the 2018 season, Wright was suspended 15 games for violating Major League Baseball's Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy.

The righty was also suspended for the first 80 games of the 2019 season for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.

After that suspension, Wright was able to pitch in just six games for the Sox before getting hit on the right leg by a line drive and then suffering an elbow injury during his rehab. His season ended by just the third game after the All-Star break.