Nunez announced his retirement from professional baseball Thursday via his personal Instagram.
Nunez signed with the Fubon Guardians of the Chinese Professional Baseball League in April but played in only seven games this year, and he won't make another attempt to play in 2023. The 35-year-old played in 858 contests across 11 big-league seasons with the Yankees, Twins, Red Sox, Giants and Mets, and he finished with a .276/.310/.404 slash line, 58 home runs, 309 RBI and 142 stolen bases.
Nunez agreed to a contract with the Fubon Guardians of the Chinese Professional Baseball League on Wednesday.
The 33-year-old was unable to land a big-league contract this offseason, so he'll head overseas to continue his professional career. Nunez appeared in only two games for the Mets last season, and he had a .228/.243/.305 slash line in 174 plate appearances with the Red Sox in 2019.
The Mets transferred Nunez (knee) to the 45-day injured list Tuesday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
Nunez hasn't played since July 26 due to a sprained left knee, so his move to the 45-day injured list won't necessarily close the door on him returning to action this season. That said, manager Luis Rojas said Nunez remains without a timeline to return, suggesting that the infielder is still in the week-to-week stage of his recovery rather than day-to-day. If Nunez makes it back from the IL before the season ends, he'll likely be limited to a utility role.
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Mets' Eduardo Nunez: No timeline for return
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Nunez (knee) is playing defense and participating in a running program at the Mets' alternate training site, but manager Luis Rojas said his return timeline remains "uncertain," Justin Toscano of The Bergen Record reports.
The 33-year-old appeared in two games during the opening weekend of the season, but he hyperextended his left knee and has been on the injured list for the past month. Nunez should be considered out indefinitely until the team indicates otherwise.
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Mets' Eduardo Nunez: Sent to IL
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Nunez (knee) was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.
Nunez originally hurt his left knee while running out a play at first base over the weekend, and he was sent to the shelf after showing little improvement over the past few days. Brian Dozier was summoned from the team's satellite camp to take Nunez's place on the roster.
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Mets' Eduardo Nunez: Diagnosed with hyperextended knee
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Nunez is considered day-to-day after hyperextending his left knee in Sunday's loss to the Braves, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Nunez suffered the injury while running out a play at first base late in Sunday's loss, but he'll avoid the injured list for now. He isn't in the lineup for Monday's game against the Mets and is officially considered day-to-day as he recovers.
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Mets' Eduardo Nunez: Exits with apparent injury
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Nunez was removed from Sunday's game against the Braves after suffering an injury while running the bases, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Nunez beat out a throw to first base late in Sunday's blowout game and was hobbled afterward with an apparent left leg injury. He was able to exit the field under his own power, but the severity of the injury is unclear.
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Mets' Eduardo Nunez: Set to be reassessed Monday
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Nunez may have suffered a hyperextended knee in Sunday's loss to the Braves but will be reassessed Monday, Justin Toscano of The Bergen Record reports.
After Nunez was removed in the eighth inning of Sunday's game, manager Luis Rojas said that Nunez felt as though he may have hyperextended his knee. However, the 23-year-old is being further evaluated Sunday and Monday, and more clarity on the severity of the injury could come afterward.
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Mets' Eduardo Nunez: Heading for Opening Day roster
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Nunez will be included on the Mets' Opening Day roster, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
The veteran infielder was in camp as a non-roster invitee, and he was able to show enough in spring and summer training to justify being added to the 40-man roster. Nunez had the worst season of his career in Boston last year with a .228/.243/.305 slash line in 174 plate appearances.
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Mets' Eduardo Nunez: Named to 60-man pool
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Nunez has been added to the Mets' 60-man player pool, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.
The veteran utility player had been competing for a roster spot back in spring training. Nunez is coming off a couple of injury-plagued seasons, but his .801 OPS and 24 steals in 114 games back in 2017 suggest he might still have something left in the tank if he can stay healthy and get an opportunity.
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Mets' Eduardo Nunez: Looking healthy in camp
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Nunez says he's fully recovered from the knee injury that ruined his 2019 campaign, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports. "Sometimes when I saw my name in the lineup in Boston, I was like, 'Oh my God... I have to play today? It's so painful. I'm so sore.' It's not fun to compete when you have so much pain in your knee," Nunez said this week. "Last year, I couldn't even play defense, I couldn't hustle, I couldn't steal any base, I couldn't hit for power, so it was really tough."
An All-Star in 2016, Nunez strained the PCL in his right knee toward the end of the 2017 season and saw his performance steadily regress afterward, bottoming out at a .548 OPS last year. Released by the Red Sox in July, the 32-year-old elected to go home and rest his knee rather than try to catch on elsewhere, and the time off seems to have rejuvenated him. Nunez is slashing .321/.387/.464 through 31 plate appearances this spring as a non-roster invitee, and while it's not clear if there's room for him on the Mets' 26-man roster, he could wind up elsewhere if he doesn't make the cut for New York.
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Mets' Eduardo Nunez: Signs with Mets
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Nunez signed with the Mets as a non-roster invitee Saturday, Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reports.
The 32-year-old's career has taken a sharp downturn over the last two seasons following three straight years with an above-average batting line from 2015 to 2017. He hit just .265/.289/.388 in 2018 and struggled to a .228/.243/.305 line in 174 plate appearances for the Red Sox in 2019 before being released in mid-July. He'll be fighting for a bench spot this spring.
The Red Sox released Nunez on Saturday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
After designating Nunez for assignment earlier this week, the Red Sox were unable to find any takers on the trade market for the utility man, and no teams were willing to put in a waiver claim for his services, either. Since Nunez had more than five years' worth of MLB service time, he had the ability to refuse an outright assignment to the minors, which likely factored into the team's decision to cut him loose. Nunez should at the very least land a minor-league deal with another organization that includes an opt-out clause in the near future if none of the league's other 29 teams is willing to sign him to an MLB deal for the minimum.
Red Sox's Eduardo Nunez: Designated for assignment
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Nunez was designated for assignment by the Red Sox on Monday.
The move may be somewhat unexpected, but it's hard to say it wasn't deserved. Nunez's .265/.289/.388 slash line last season was poor enough, but he hit a new low this season, posting a .228/.243/.305 slash line. He could still provide fantasy owners a handful of steals if he lands with a team that gives him regular playing time, but his bat may have deteriorated to the point where that's unlikely. Sam Travis was called up in a corresponding move.
