Alex Cora Jokes Jarren Duran ‘Tougher’ Than These Ex-Red Sox Players

It is normal for MLB players to take a day off to rest, but not for Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran.

Duran, who hasn’t missed a game yet this season, said he is committed to playing in all 162 games, even if he is offered a day of rest by manager Alex Cora.

The 27-year-old became an All-Star this season with the Red Sox, and entered Wednesday batting .276 with 41 RBIs, 10 home runs and 21 stolen bases from the leadoff spot. With the impressive performance, Duran has put up, the manager would happily give him a day off.

Cora has given many of his star players a day off in the past, including Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts. When asked why Duran is different than the two players, Cora had a simple answer.

“Because he’s tougher than those guys,” Cora jokingly told reporters, per the Boston Herald’s Mac Cerullo. “We just felt like he can handle it. He’s accepted the challenge. We’re going to keep playing him. He’s one of our best players.”

Boston is over halfway through the season with 91 games played, and Duran has done a good job of staying consistent.

While Cora took a small joking jab at the former Red Sox players, he did praise them for the precedent they set for Rafael Devers. The third baseman announced he would not play in the All-Star Game because he has been dealing with a lingering shoulder issue.

It’s not rare to play through injury, something Betts and Bogaerts did in their time with the Red Sox. Devers has continued to play through his injury, and Cora credits the former Red Sox players for teaching him how to deal with it.

“Obviously throughout the years he’s been taught the right way, Xander playing through stuff, Mookie playing through stuff, J.T. (Justin Turner) playing through stuff last year,” Cora said.

Duran will look to play in his 92nd game of the season against the Oakland Athletics at Fenway Park at 7:10 p.m. ET on Thursday. All game and postgame coverage can be watched on NESN.