IT'S NUNEZ TIME!

We all know by now that The Captain Derek Jeter has another small break in his surgically repaired ankle, and will not be returning until after the All-Star break. This according to Andrew Marchand at ESPN. You can read that HERE.

We can all agree it stinks. I want to see Jeter back on the field. Heck, if anything Derek wants to see himself back on the field more than anyone of us. Realistically, it has to wait. He will be back, and he knows he has to be at 100% for the green light. But, for now we have baseball games that need to be played. That means moving forward without our Captain.

The time to focus on is now, and for a guy like Eduardo Nunez there has never been more of a time for him to make this stint worthwhile. Look, I know defensively Nunez has made some bad plays from time to time. In baseball, errors are part of the game it is the human element in the game. They will happen. Nunez just has an opportune time to grow and fix that. In 2011, he had 14 errors at the shortstop position. In 2012, that number shrunk down to 4. This year so far, he has no errors. You can knock on wood as you read that, by the way. His numbers have decreased significantly in that span. I know it's still a young season and the more he plays out there, I believe there will be vast improvement. I don't expect the finesse plays like that of Derek. Although it would be nice. I kid, but seriously I just hope to see defensive execution.

Offensively, Nunez is a strong hitter. He isn't off to a fast start at the plate having only 6 hits in 25 at-bats, but now that he will be in the line up more that could change. Again, the season is still young, but Nunez knows he needs to step up his game for the long haul. If he only knew how important he is to the team, that bell should have rung when the news got out about Jeter's latest setback to his ankle. So as we patiently or impatiently await the Captain's return, Nunez is our everyday player. It's something we all have to get used to. It's something Nunez knows he has to get used to. He has one thing he needs to tell himself and one thing only, "I'M THE YANKEES SHORTSTOP, IT'S MY JOB. NOW." Because, let's face it for those hoping to see the team make a move in the open market for a short term replacement, don't bet on it. They're not looking any further than Eduardo Nunez.

Why, you ask?

Because Eduardo Nunez is the man of the hour, bottom line.

-- Rudy Laurens, BYB Writer
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