Jarren Duran has a very important spring training ahead of him if wants to make the Red Sox 40-man roster.
The speedy outfielder had a tough 2022 in Boston that went beyond his stats. Duran misplayed a ball in center field in July that led to an inside-the-park grand slam from now-teammate Raimel Tapia while he was a member of the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Red Sox ended up losing 28-5 and Duran didn't really take a whole lot of credibility for the embarrassing blunder. Then Duran got into it with Kansas City Royals fans the following month after he claimed they were "throwing little bottle caps at me and stuff."
The defensive and offensive struggles continued for Duran and he was sent to Triple-A Worcester not long after the incident in Kansas City.
Now Duran wants to put the past behind him as he looks to better himself in 2023.
"I'm just trying to minimize the big mistakes, and just go out there and just have fun and trust myself and what I can do," Duran told reporters, per The Boston Globe's Julian McWilliams.
Duran could be the odd man out when it comes to spots on the 40-man roster, but also has the chance to fill in in the outfield due to injuries. Kiké Hernández will move to shortstop in Trevor Story's absence while Masataka Yoshida, Alex Verdugo and Adam Duvall will make up the outfield while Rob Refsnyder will be the fourth patrolling the grass.
Ironically, Duran and Tapia will be competing for a spot on the Opening Day roster.
Cora still believes in Duran's ability to be a solid Major League Baseball player.
"I just don't think you become a bad player in one or two years," Cora said, per McWilliams. "Everybody was praising him two or three years ago about his swing changes. People go through stretches. They slump, or they don't perform, but the talent is still there. We like the player."
Duran has had a lot of hype surrounding him and he has shown flashes of his talent. It's up to him to mature both professionally and personally in order to earn a spot on the 40-man.
