Red Sox prospect Jarren Duran recently may have shined on the international stage while helping Team USA qualify for the Olympics, but it doesn’t necessarily sound like that noteworthy performance puts him on the fast track to Boston.
Durran, who made quite the leap on Baseball America’s Top 100 rankings recently, recorded a .368 batting average (7-for-19) while representing Team USA. He hit one double and one triple with one stolen base, three runs and three RBIs.
Duran now will return to Triple-A Worcester. And while he continues to impress those in the organization, including Red Sox manager Alex Cora, it seems Boston isn’t going to rush anything with the center fielder.
“Obviously, the conversations will always be there. He just had a great tournament down there in Florida,” Cora said on a pregame video conference Monday before Boston’s contest against the Miami Marlins. “There’s a guy that is going to impact this team in the future. The future doesn’t mean tomorrow, or in a month. It might be next year, or in two years. But we know he’s a good player. The way he impacts the game offensively, running the bases, is eye-opening.Â
“We know that he’s a good player. We know that he still has some things he has to get better. But we keep talking about him and we’re very happy where he’s at right now,” Cora said. “Now, he has to go back and play and keep getting better. But obviously, like Chaim (Bloom) said in spring training, I think it’s something we’ll keep paying attention to him and we’ll see what happens in the future.”
Duran, despite not belting a home run in the Olympic qualifying tournament, has showcased his power time and time again in Worcester. That caught the attention of Cora last month, too.
But, at least for the short term, it seems one of Boston’s top prospects will remain in Triple A.
