HOUSTON — Dustin Pedroia was expected to handle a good amount of the playing time at second base, putting Eduardo Nunez in more of a part-time role. But with Pedroia back on the disabled list as of Saturday because of his own knee woes, Nunez may spring into action again.
Nunez was in the starting lineup Friday at Minute Maid as the DH and went 1-for-4 (Brock Holt started at second). It’s been roughly eight months since his 2017 season ended frighteningly at Minute Maid Park in Game 1 of the American League Division Series. Nunez’s right knee gave out as he left the batter’s box last October, the injury to his posterior cruciate ligament insufficiently healed.
Nunez said Friday that his knee has gotten stronger as this year has gone on, and that “always in the beginning, it’s off.” The Sox put him through a lot of tests before signing him back as a free agent in spring.
These days, Nunez said the knee feels pretty good. But, if he could do it again, Nunez would have handled the end of last year differently.
“For sure. For sure,” Nunez said. “I wish I didn’t try. It made my injury worse.”
At the same time, Nunez noted a feeling that he and the team had to try to get him back on the field.
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Returning to Minute Maid didn’t make him think about being carried off the field.
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“No, I don’t think about it,” Nunez said. “It was just bad considering I wasn’t ready at that time. And we had to try. Bad time. Hopefully, everything [has gone] away now."
When Pedroia is able to return, Nunez is comfortable in a bench role.
“I’m used to [playing part-time]," he said. "And I knew that was coming before I signed here, and I decided to come back.”
Nunez hasn’t hit the way he did when he arrived in Boston after being traded over from the Giants in the middle of last season. But, Nunez thinks warmer weather will lead to a strong performance. Nothing mechanically has been off, he said.
“We’ll see in September or October,” Nunez said with a smile.
Nunez, who turns 31 June 15, is hitting .249 with a .265 on-base percentage and .378 slugging percentage. He has four home runs. In 38 games with the Red Sox last season, he hit .321/.353/.539 with eight homers and 27 RBI.
The Red Sox were firm last year that Nunez could not be further hurt by attempting to play at the end of the season. Asked how the choice to play was made, Nunez said he listened to the doctors.
“I never had that injury before, so I don’t know how to handle it,” Nunez said. “I don’t know when I can say I can [play] or when I can say I can’t.”
“So, if it happens again, I know, I know what’s going on.”
Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski did not return a request for comment.