ANAHEIM – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Jarren Duran is expected to be in center field Monday night for the Boston Red Sox when they play the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., but it wasn’t such a sure thing not long ago.
Despite a decent spring training (6-for-18), Duran did not make the team to start the season. And he was hitting just .195 at Triple-A Worcester when the Red Sox decided to call him up on April 17.
But he has played in every game since, starting all but two, and has earned his keep. He’s hitting .330 with three homers, 19 RBIs, seven stolen bases and a .917 OPS in 31 games.
It’s a complete turnaround for the former seventh-round pick out of Long Beach State — struggles on the field in recent years resulted in mental health issues that Duran has confronted and managed.
“Oh, he’s great,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “For everything that he has talked about, and he’s been very open about it, you care about him, not only on the field, but off the field. This kid, he went to Puerto Rico in the middle of the pandemic just to keep working on his craft. We were able to connect and I’m very proud of him.”
The Red Sox are hoping to have DH Justin Turner back in the lineup Monday after he had to leave Friday’s game against the San Diego Padres because of soreness in his left knee.
It couldn’t have come at a worse time for Turner, who is having a successful May after struggling somewhat in April. He hit .250 with two homers and eight RBIs in April, but is hitting .316 with three homers and nine RBIs this month.
Right-hander Tanner Houck (3-3, 5.48 ERA) will make his ninth start of the season for the Red Sox. He is 1-1 with a 9.72 ERA in three career games (one start) against the Angels.