Nunez glad to see former Yanks teammates

NEW YORK -- Eduardo Nunez played parts of four seasons with the Yankees before the Twins traded for him in April, so he admitted returning to Yankee Stadium for the first time as a visitor on Friday was a bit strange.

Nunez was once considered the heir apparent to shortstop after Derek Jeter's retirement, but it never panned out, as Nunez struggled defensively during his time in New York. Nunez was designated for assignment on April 1, and he was traded to Minnesota on April 7 for Minor League left-hander Miguel Sulbaran.

But Nunez had nothing but positive things to say about his time with the Yankees, as he was thankful they gave him the opportunity to play in the big leagues.

"It's fun to see my old teammates," Nunez said. "It was fun playing with them. But it's a little weird being on the other side. I had good memories here. I played with them for four years, and so I have nothing bad to say about the Yankees. It's business."

Nunez has seen limited playing time with the Twins, but he started at designated hitter on Friday. He entered the game hitting .256/.293/.359 with a homer, a double and five RBIs in 14 games, but has yet to play shortstop.

"I feel good," Nunez said. "I don't play every day, so it's hard. But all I can do is put together quality at-bats whenever I'm in the lineup. But sometimes it's tough, because you lose your timing. But in my mind, I prepare like I'm playing every day."