Red Sox's Jarren Duran Could Have New Role When Roman Anthony Returns originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Boston Red Sox will have some very interesting decisions to make once Roman Anthony returns. With the outfield being one of the best in Major League Baseball, Boston finds itself in a position where it might have to get creative. Some players will be affected, whether they're sent down, designated for assignment, released, or something else.
One player who definitely isn't going to be released or designated for assignment is Jarren Duran, despite some up-and-down showings throughout the campaign.
Playing left field, Duran has been healthy and is on pace to hit the most home runs he's hit throughout his career. He has 17 on the season and needs to hit more than 21, which he did in 2024.
Regarding what this means for Anthony, it sounds like there are going to be some changes in the outfield, at least when certain pitchers are on the mound.
“While talking about Anthony’s rehab process Saturday, Tracy made an interesting comment that shed some light on how the Red Sox will view their outfield mix when he returns. Reading between the lines, it seems like Boston plans on Jarren Duran still being the regular left-fielder against right-handed pitchers with Anthony serving as the designated hitter…
“Tracy hinted that Anthony might play left over Duran against a left-handed starter, though backups Jahmai Jones and Eli White have both proven capable of facing southpaws since joining the team and will be considered, too,” Chris Cotillo wrote.
There's so much to figure out here for the Red Sox that it's probably best to just let things play out the way that they're supposed to and go from there.
The Red Sox can't sit back and worry too much about who is going to play where and how things are going to unfold. This is a team that has a legitimate chance to win, and both of those guys are going to help them do just that.