The Boston Red Sox have benefited from the early-season call-up of outfielder Jarren Duran.
Tasked with assisting Boston's outfield amid Adam Duvall's time on the injured list, Duran has answered the call. Both in the batter's box and while guarding centerfield, Duran has shown impressive growth and comfort, which once again paid off for the Red Sox on Tuesday night.
Starting against the Baltimore Orioles in Boston's 8-6 victory, the 26-year-old was a game-saver. Duran crushed a grand slam -- the first of his career -- in the third inning off Baltimore starter Kyle Bradish, delivering the blow that ended the right-hander's horrific 2 1/3-inning performance while proving to be the most important at-bat of the night.
"Just trying to have quality at-bats for the team," Duran said, as seen on NESN's postgame coverage.
Duran finished the night -- his ninth game since joining the big league club on April 17 -- 3-for-4, coming just a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.
Yet, while Duran's promotion has continued to pay dividends for the Red Sox, reaching this point wasn't easy. First, Duran struggled to get spring training reps, playing just nine games with eight at-bats. The same went for when Duran represented Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic, that time getting only six at-bats in five games. And before his promotion to Boston, Duran was hitting just .195 (8-for-41) with the Worcester WooSox.
Nevertheless, with an immense show of early improvement on both sides of the field, Duran has quickly become a no-brainer for Boston's lineup throughout his hot streak. In acknowledging a difference from last season to 2023, Duran pinpointed what's to be credited for his growth.
"Just my teammates. Being more open to talking to guys and not feeling like I'm bothering them and then being very open," Duran said, per NESN. "Like (Justin Turner) and (Alex Verdugo) and (Kiké Hernández) really helping me out, telling me to keep working, keep working hard. Even when I mess up, they tell, 'Hey man, it's baseball, it happens.' So just having those guys backing me up feels really good."
Duran has reached base in seven of the nine games he's played. He's hit .387 with five doubles, one homer and 10 RBIs while also stealing two bases. Going 12-for-31, Duran has also recorded more base hits than strikeouts (11).
"He's in a good place offensively," Alex Cora told reporters, per NESN. "Like I said before, I thought before he went to the (World Baseball Classic), he was really good in spring training. ... "We're just happy that he's performing at this level, the way he is."
