CINCINNATI -- Eduardo Nunez passed the last key step in his recovery from a right knee injury, running the bases prior to Sunday's game against the Reds.
Nunez seemed encouraged by how it went, as he gave president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and a member of the training staff a fist bump after the session was complete.
The Red Sox have been without the services of Nunez since he injured his knee running the bases on Sept. 9.
Manager John Farrell wasn't sure if Nunez would return on Monday at home against the Blue Jays, but he didn't rule it out.
"I think initially, I'd like to get him some DH at-bats first, and maybe gradually build into some greater volume from the defensive side," Farrell said. "But I think that's a progressive step that we've used here with guys previously and in recent history. So I think that would be the next progressive step for him."
Nunez is invaluable down the stretch and into the postseason for Boston, because of his defensive versatility, his speed and his bat at the top of the order.
"He came here and injected a tremendous amount of production, energy. A great teammate. Versatility," said Farrell. "Nuney came in here with seemingly no transition time. Had jumped right in and was a big contributor to us, and we would hope that would pick up as soon as he gets back in the lineup."