Berkman To DL, Nunez Called Up

In a mildly surprising move, Lance Berkman has been placed on the DL and Eduardo Nunez has been called up. We first heard that Nunez was with the club this morning, leading many to believe that Alex Rodriguez was the one headed to the disabled list. However, despite being available last night as a pinch hitter, Berkman was put on the shelf, as he continues his quest to emulate Nick Johnson in every way possible.

The recall of Nunez, an infielder, to replace Berkman suggests that A-Rod is unlikely to play the field for the next few days. If he was able to play third base, Berkman likely would have been replaced by Juan Miranda, who he had supplanted at the trade deadline. I would expect Nunez to be with the club until Alex can play the field again, at which point he will be exchanged for Miranda until rosters expand on September 1st.

Other options that some Yankees fans might have wanted to see get a shot include Brandon Laird and Jesus Montero. I advocated calling up Laird when it seemed like A-Rod was heading to the DL, but I understand not going through the machinations of getting him on the roster 10 days before they expand just to be a backup for a few days. As for Montero, he is not on the 40 man roster, and adding him now, before it is necessary for Rule 5 draft purposes, could cost the Yankees a player they may want to keep in the Rule 5 draft (h/t @joepawl). We will likely have to wait until 2011 to see Jesus.

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