If Eduardo Nunez replaces Alex Rodriguez as well as he did Derek Jeter, the Yankees won’t have to use a trading chip for a stop-gap third baseman while Rodriguez recovers from surgery.
When Jeter went on the disabled list with a strained right calf, it was understood he would return in the two-to-three week range. Now, Rodriguez is undergoing arthroscopic right knee surgery today and will miss four to six weeks.
Can Nunez hit as well for six weeks — or more depending on the rehab process — as he did for three, when he batted .339 (20-for-59) with two homers and seven RBIs?
“I don’t want anybody to go down, I don’t want anybody to get hurt like Derek and A-Rod,” Nunez said. “But it’s a chance for me to show I can play.”
In two games filling in for Rodriguez, Nunez has continued to hit. Saturday he started the game-winning rally in the eighth inning with a leadoff double and scored on Jeter’s ground single up the middle.
Yesterday he beat out an infield single to deep short with a slide, on which his right knee collided with the base.
While the Yankees adore Nunez’s bat and live body, he has made a team-leading 10 errors, mostly on throws. And there is a question if he can adjust moving from short to third, where the throw is different.
Naturally, the Yankees wouldn’t want to trade a chip for a third baseman because Rodriguez will eventually return.
Other internal options included Eric Chavez, who has been out since early May with a fractured right foot and is now dealing with back issues. Nobody can provide a firm date when the left-handed hitting Chavez, who looked good in spring training and during the first month of the season, will return.
Brandon Laird has put a slow start at Triple-A behind him and could be an option.
If the Yankees decide Nunez or Laird aren’t the answer and Chavez’s health doesn’t allow him to return, they will look outside. The Dodgers might listen on Casey Blake and the A’s could entertain offers on Kevin Kouzmanoff.
The Cubs would have to listen on Aramis Ramirez, who is making $14.6 million this year and has a club option for $16 million next season with a $2 million buyout.