Eduardo Nunez has been plagued with knee injuries since joining the Boston Red Sox, but manager Alex Cora is confident in his utility infielder’s health this season.
Nunez was injured in September 2017 before re-aggravating the same knee in Game 1 of the 2017 American League Division Series. The injury cost him the remainder of the postseason. He had issues with the same knee during the 2018 season, but wasn’t kept out of action for an extended period of time as he helped the Red Sox earn their fourth World Series title in 15 seasons.
Despite his knee giving him issues the past two seasons, Cora on Wednesday gave a promising update on Nunez.
“(He looks) excellent,” the manager said, via MassLive. “More explosive. He has two knees now. Last year was a little bit tougher, because we slowed him down after the workout here. We slowed him down and were able to build him up. He was able to finish strong.”
Nunez likely won’t be taking on as big a role this season as he had last with the expectation being Dustin Pedroia will be ready for Opening Day. But if he could string together a decent season on just one leg, it’s probably safe to bet he’ll be even more explosive when called upon with two healthy knees.
