With Derek Jeter back in Tampa, still unsure of when he’ll make his season debut with the Yankees, Eduardo Nunez showed just how much they may miss their regular shortstop.
And while the primary concern surrounding Nunez is his glove — and his arm, too — it was Nunez’s bat that came up empty yesterday in the Yankees’ 8-2 loss to the Red Sox.
Nunez went hitless in four at-bats, striking out three times.
In an unusual twist, he was fine in the field.
“It was exciting to be out there for Opening Day,” Nunez said. “I know it didn’t turn out great and it wasn’t the best game, but I’m feeling confident when the ball is hit to me.”
That wasn’t always the case in years past, when fans would hold their collective breath anytime Nunez was tested defensively.
A shortened throwing motion he has been working on this spring has helped.
“Before, I used to be too intense and not sure I could make a play,” Nunez said. “Now, I’m a lot more confident.”
And he believes he’ll be able to shake off the rough start at the plate.
“It’s just one game,” said Nunez, whose costliest whiff may have come when he struck out looking after Boston’s Andrew Miller walked the first two batters he faced in the seventh, as the Yankees seemed ready to rally. “Those strikeouts are the same as fly balls or a pop out. I can’t worry about that.”
The Yankees remain confident Nunez will hit and be dangerous on the base paths if given the chance. They aren’t as sold on the other aspect of his game. Neither is he.
“I try not to think about anything in the field,” Nunez said. “The more I play out there and work on my throwing, the more comfortable [I am].”
Still, it’s a work in progress.
“I’d never thrown this way for 25 years,” Nunez said of the changes he has made with infield coach Mick Kelleher. “I’m getting better. I still think I can get the job done when Jeter is hurt. I’m getting there.”
As for the strikeouts, he wasn’t alone in his struggles at the plate. The makeshift Yankees lineup performed about as well as many had expected: poorly. The team’s new faces went a combined 2-for-12.
“We still have good players here,” Nunez said. “It’s going to be OK.”
dan.martin@nypost.com