Red Sox’s Jarren Duran Reveals Story Behind Little-Known Nickname

Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran unveiled the origin story behind a nickname the 27-year-old had bestowed upon him from an ex-teammate.

While getting prepared for the upcoming 2024 season at spring training, Duran revealed the individual responsible for the nickname, along with what current Red Sox teammates have helped keep it alive.

“So that started with (Hunter) Renfroe calling me Dory one time, and now everybody just calls me Dory,” Duran revealed, per team-provided video. “So it’s just kind of stuck. It kind of carried a lot last when (Justin Turner) kind of carried it on, just kept calling me Dory. And Bob (Dalbec) still calls me Dory, Trevor (Story) still calls me Dory so it’s just kind of stuck.”

Duran was just a rookie when Renfroe came up with the nickname, making 33 appearances in the 2021 season and getting 102 at-bats as a midseason call-up from Triple-A Worcester. But since then, Duran’s undergone the big league experience, turning 2022 struggles into a promising 2023 run.

Duran fell short of making Boston’s Opening Day roster last season, meaning it was back to Worcester. However, Duran’s patience was rewarded when Adam Duvall suffered a fractured wrist in April, opening the door for Duran to take over in center field and make an impression.

Duran did both those things, batting .295 while making the most of his speedy feet and stretching out singles into extra bases on a routine basis as manager Alex Cora’s go-to lead-off hitter. Duran hit eight home runs, 34 doubles and swiped 24 bases, making “Road Runner” a more suitable nickname for a page-turning campaign for the now-starting outfield candidate.

Considering how Duran blossomed when trusted last season, the left-handed hitter could pick up right where he left off come March 28 in Seattle.