Jarren Duran played 58 games during his second go with the Boston Red Sox last season.
In 2022, Duran battled some ups and downs, making 68 appearances with the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox. And with Opening Day just a week away, the 26-year-old outfielder isn’t letting any roster worry consume him before the third year of his big league career.
“I just feel like it would add more stress to me trying to think about, ‘Oh, am I going to make it?'” Duran said, according to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. “The only thing I can really do is go out and play, because at the end of the day, they’re going to make a decision. I don’t have any say in it. All I can do is play.”
Duran batted .221/.283/.363 with three home runs, 14 doubles and three triples with 17 RBIs over the course of 204 at-bats with the Red Sox last season.
The left-handed hitter played four games of spring training exhibition thus far, going 4-for-6 with two doubles and a stolen base. Duran wasn’t done getting preseason reps in Florida, joining teammate Alex Verdugo to represent Mexico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
There, limited in playing time, Duran got five at-bats through six games played and had stole two bases in Mexico’s run to the semifinal round against Japan.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora already has Masataka Yoshida and Verdugo set the handle the corner outfield spots, with Adam Duvall the likely candidate for center field. But this doesn’t rule out the possibility that Boston elects to keep Duran at the big league level to serve as a lefty bat that can come off the bench.
