It might have surprised some to see the Red Sox designate veteran outfielder Raimel Tapia on Monday to make room on the active roster for Christian Arroyo.
But moving on from Tapia speaks volumes of the faith the Red Sox continue to have in Jarren Duran making an impact in the lineup.
"Where the game is going, he fits the mold," Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters prior to the series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park, per Chad Jennings of The Athletic. "Fast, dynamic and that's something we cannot hide. … The package of the player is too valuable for us."
After going through well-documented struggles a season ago, Duran became a contributing factor for the Red Sox when starting center fielder Adam Duvall broke his wrist early in the season. Even though he hasn't been perfect, Duran took over Duvall's role and rewarded the Red Sox for their faith in him, showing marked improvement both at the plate and in the field.
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He showcased some of the tools Cora raved about as Duran came into Monday's contest against the Rays batting .278 with three home runs and 22 RBIs to go along with seven stolen bases.
Last year, it would have been an easy decision for the Red Sox to send Duran down to Triple-A with Arroyo coming off the injured list. And it seems like he'll stay in the big leagues even when Adam Duvall is expected to be activated at the end of the week. Cora said Duran won't be a "part-time player" once Duvall returns. Boston has stuck with Duran through his recent struggles, too. After a hot start to the season, he's batting just .130 with no homers and three RBIs over his last 15 games.
But choosing Duran over Tapia, who batted a respectable .264 with one home run and 10 RBIs to go along with six stolen bases in 39 games, continues to show how far the Red Sox believe Duran has come and how much further they think he can go.
"You can't just give up on him," Cora said. "He's hitting .280 something with an .800 something OPS. You buy that if it's available. Hell yeah, you take it. So, yeah, you can see when he got here he was hitting .450, but nobody is going to hit .400 at the big league level. He's been going through his struggles, but the last few days have been solid. Hit the ball the other way a few times. We like his defense; it's been a lot better. And obviously we love the way he runs the bases. He makes sense."
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Featured image via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
