The Boston Red Sox have been patient with embattled outfielder Jarren Duran. Too patient.
Two years ago, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and Co. had the chance to sell high on Duran after his breakout 2024 All-Star campaign. The soon-to-be 30-year-old’s value dipped after he came back down to earth in 2025, but he could still have gotten Boston something worthwhile in return during the offseason.
Now, not only has Duran tanked his stock as the worst hitter in baseball, but he continues to make headlines for being a headcase.
His latest incident came during the sixth inning of Thursday night’s series finale vs. the Athletics. With one out and the score knotted at 3, Duran popped up to shallow left field with Willson Contreras on third base. A’s outfielder Tyler Soderstrom, a former catcher with a strong arm, made the routine catch, and the not-so-speedy Contreras didn’t tag up.
Duran was visibly frustrated by Contreras’ staying put. On his way back to the dugout, he appeared to yell “run!” in Contreras’ and third base coach Chad Epperson’s direction. Upon further review, it’s clear that if Contreras did tag up, he would have been out by a mile.
Duran appeared to continue chirping at Contreras as the Red Sox took the field for the bottom of the inning. According to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe, Duran later “slammed his helmet in the dugout, breaking a pipe under the bench and causing water to spill out.”
Meanwhile, Contreras kept his cool. And when the Red Sox’ best hitter stepped up to the plate in the top of the eighth, he went back-to-back with Wilyer Abreu to propel Boston to a 5-4 victory.
Duran typically leads the Red Sox’ “Wally head” home run celebrations. He wasn’t involved after Contreras’ blast:
Unfortunately, Duran’s drama stole the spotlight away from Contreras’ heroics — even if Duran labeled it a “nothing” incident.
“It’s something that within the team that we have, that we work on. And it’s nothing,” he said. “You guys don’t need to know. Nobody needs to know. That’s something between us and the team that we know what it’s about. So that doesn’t really matter.”
Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy claimed Duran was upset with himself, despite the evidence to the contrary.
“Just mad at himself. So that was all it was. Just upset,” Tracy said. “He was just cursing himself. I didn’t really venture over there when he was upset to ask. But he was at the bat rack, just upset with himself for not getting the run in.”
Contreras, who’s usually a fiery personality, took the high road.
“I saw him doing some stuff, but I would not take that personal,” he said of Duran. “I love the guy, and we need the guy here. We need his energy, and I don’t know. I haven’t talked to him yet, but it’s nothing personal.”
Kind words from the veteran first baseman, but with the MLB trade deadline looming, it has never been clearer that the Red Sox don’t need Duran. After a 2-for-15 series and an 0-for-4 performance in Thursday’s win, Duran has MLB’s lowest qualified batting average at .195.
“I f–ing suck,” Duran said after the game. “Of course I’m f—ing pissed at myself. I can’t even do a f—ing job for this team.”
At this point, it’s difficult to discern what’s more of a turnoff for potential trade suitors: Duran’s poor performance or his behavior. The Red Sox have shrugged off his many outbursts for the last half-decade, including when he flipped off a heckling fan in Minnesota earlier this season. It’s gotten to where Boston would be lucky to get anything of value for him before the Aug. 3 deadline.
Even if they’re unable to find a trade partner, the Red Sox should consider pulling the plug on the Jarren Duran experience. He remains one of the only negative talking points amid the club’s historic turnaround, and there’s no benefit to keeping him on the roster for the stretch run, especially if fellow left fielder Roman Anthony returns from injury. The 2024 Jarren Duran isn’t walking through that door.
Duran’s fate is among many critical decisions Breslow will make in the coming days. Boston’s chief baseball officer is reportedly searching for shortstop and catcher upgrades as well as pitching depth. The club could still use a big right-handed bat after losing newly acquired infielder Curtis Mead to a broken wrist.
After taking three of four against the A’s, the surging Sox will head to Los Angeles for a tough three-game set against the Dodgers. That will be their final series before Monday’s trade deadline.
