Nunez will miss at least a week as knee trouble appears more serious

There’s somewhat ominous news regarding Eduardo Nunez, who came out of Saturday’s game with what was first labeled a “right knee contusion.’’

Nunez was, predictably, out of the lineup Sunday as he got treatment for the knee. The expectation was that he would return to action Tuesday night following another day of rest and treatment Monday.

Instead, Nunez was again absent from the lineup as the Sox revealed that Nunez underwent an MRI Monday, which revealed a sprain of the PCL (posterior cruciate ligament).

“He’s going to be down for at least another week,’’ said John Farrell. “He still had some tightness, some swelling in the knee when he reported Sunday and had similar symptoms (Monday). We took him for an MRI, and there’s not only bruising by a sprain of the knee itself. We’ll re-evaluate him a week from today.’’

Asked whether Nunez would return before the end of the regular season, Farrell responded: “Too early to tell. But personally, in talking with him and seeing how he’s moving around today compared to (Sunday and Monday), there’s improvement there. But we have to kind of wait and see how this week plays out.’’

"I feel better,'' Nunez said. "Hopefully, I'll be back soon. I've never had this injury before. It sucks, but it is what it is. It's nothing too serious. Hopefully, in a week, we'll see how I feel and how my knee responds to treatment.''

‘We’ll miss him in the top part of the order and what he’s meant,’’ said Farrell, “and what he’s meant to us. But we’ve got opportunities for other guys to step up and take on the added responsibility.’’

"This time of year,'' added Nunez, "you don't want to miss any games. We're trying to be safe so I can come back and help the team. When I come back, I want to be able to run well. That's a big tool for me. We're just trying to be safe; I don't want to come back too soon.''