McAdam: Eduardo Nunez probably needed to go, but Red Sox lack a viable replacement

It's easy enough to make the case for doing what the Red Sox did Monday afternoon -- namely, designating veteran infielder Eduardo Nunez for assignment.

Nunez contributed very little this season, slashing .228/.243/.305. He had two homers and seven doubles in 167 at-bats, showing little pop, and while he had the ability to steal bases -- five in six tries -- the bottom line was that he wasn't on base enough to take advantage of that skill set.

The fact is, Nunez was a shadow of the player the Red Sox obtained almost exactly two years ago -- the one who stung line drives into the gap, created havoc on the bases and provided the lineup with a booster shot of energy whenever he played.

That Nunez disappeared when he suffered a knee injury in September of 2017, a problem that sidelined him for the final month of the season and then, after one attempt at a postseason at-bat in the Division Series, for the rest of the Red Sox' cameo appearance that October.

Despite reservations about Nunez's physical readiness -- and only after they put him through the paces of a two-day workout -- the Sox re-signed him to a two-year deal in February of 2018.  But Nunez was a mere shadow of himself in 2018, compiling a .677 OPS, a sharp comedown from the .892 he posted in 2017.

Nunez admitted that he was in so much pain in 2018 that he often felt relief when he reported to the clubhouse and saw that he wasn't in the lineup that night. His swing was almost totally reliant on his upper body, without a base upon which to host his swing.

His signature moment in the Red Sox' postseason run was the 18-inning, Game 3 marathon in the World Series that saw him collapsing in the batter's box, on the field and on the basepaths, his knee unable to hold up under such duress.

In the spring, Nunez insisted he was healthy again, a year removed, and ready to contribute. And indeed, he appeared more mobile and fluid in his movements.

But that didn't translate to better results.

Particularly costly for Nunez's case to stay on the roster were his numbers against lefthanded pitching: .200/.240/.314.

"It wasn't working out against lefties,'' said Alex Cora. "Where we're at roster-wise, Michael (Chavis) is going to play against lefties and righties most of the time. I feel that we need more offense against left-handed pitching. It was a tough spot for him not getting enough at-bats. Actually, he was hitting better against righties.

"It's a tough decision, but it's a baseball decision. Sammy (Travis) is swinging the bat well. He'll play most likely against lefties, first base, Michael will play second, and we'll go from there."

And while Monday's news was hardly telegraphed -- Nunez was in the starting lineup against the Dodgers Sunday in one of the Red Sox' biggest games in some time -- it could hardly have registered as a complete shock as the Red Sox seek to make some changes in advance of a demanding stretch that will have a great deal to say about their postseason chances.

With Brock Holt, Marco Hernandez and Michael Chavis, the Red Sox have three players who can play multiple infield positions, all of whom have performed better than Nunez this season.

But here's the problem: to take Nunez's place on the roster, the best the Sox could do was Travis. Travis gives the Red Sox another outfield option -- though not, it should be noted, a particularly good one -- and someone who can also play first behind Chavis and Holt.

Travis, however, is no one's idea of an impact player. He's never hit at the big league level despite numerous opportunities (career major league OPS: 605) and this year, he's not even hitting at the Triple A level, with a modest .432 slugging percentage at Pawtucket.

So, no, Nunez won't be missed, except perhaps in the clubhouse where was a vibrant and carefree spirit.

But it's hard to view the roster being upgraded at all with the elevation of Travis, and that, after all, is supposed to be the whole point.

The sad fact is, the Sox have no one else in Pawtucket to make that impact. And that, in the end, is as big -- if not as monetarily costly -- as the failure of Nunez to contribute.