The Red Sox on Tuesday optioned outfielder Jarren Duran to Triple-A Worcester. But manager Alex Cora told reporters he believes Duran’s return to Boston — whenever it occurs — will be worth the wait.
“He’ll be OK,” Cora said before Tuesday’s game against the Minnesota Twins. “We cannot make any promises that he’ll be here in 10 days, 15 days or whatever, but one thing for sure: he’s part of the future.”
Duran made his major league debut earlier this season and appeared in 27 games. He made 20 starts, 19 of which came in center field (the other was in left.) Through his first big-league stint, he hit .221 with 12 runs, three doubles, two triples, two home runs and eight RBIs. He struck out 33 times.
The 24-year-old’s production dipped against left-handed pitchers. A lefty himself, Duran hit just .200 with five hits in 25 at-bats against southpaws, compared to .230 against right-handed pitchers. Nearly all of his extra-base hits (all but one triple) came against righty’s.
Cora said he believed the schedule during Duran’s call-up — when the Red Sox faced several left-handed pitchers — led to some of his struggles.
“Obviously we don’t control the rotations of the opposition, but there were a lot of lefties that we faced there for a long stretch,” Cora said. “Coming into the situation, we were going to protect him against most of them. I think timing-wise, it was very hard for him.
“But at the same time it was a good learning experience, just to be around him, just to be around us and understand what it takes to be a big-leaguer.”
The manager also praised the work ethic of Duran, the team’s seventh-round pick out of California State Long Beach in 2018:
“The way he goes about his business is amazing. It’s not easy to come up here. I think it’s a lot harder this year because of the lack of repetitions last year. But he’s a guy that we really like. We still like him the same way (as) when we called him up. (He’s) somebody that we trust.”
