New York Yankees Demote Eduardo Nunez to Triple-a Scranton/Wilkes-Barre

In a somewhat surprising move, the Yankees have chosen to demote super-utility player Eduardo Nunez to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to make room for Eric Chavez, who is coming back from the 7-day disabled list after suffering whiplash and a possible concussion.

The Yankees want him to play second base and shortstop regularly in the minors to improve on his horrendous defense.

Nunez has made two errors in eight games at third base, one in five games at shortstop and one in one game at second base.

His offense and defensive versatility have helped the Yankees over the past several seasons, but his defense has been a liability no matter where he plays.

In his place, Jayson Nix will see time in the middle infield.

Nix has played second and third consistently in the past, but has only played a few games at shortstop. He'll be able to mask that fact once a week when Derek Jeter needs a day off, though.

The Yankees will likely work Chavez in slowly to make sure that he is really okay after the possible concussion, so Nix will play more in the near future as he'll be asked to play third and first.

The move comes as a bit of a surprise, especially now that Brett Gardner is expected to miss at least two more weeks.

Nix will likely be able to provide better defense than Nunez, but the Yankees will definitely miss his offense until he works out his defensive woes in the minors.