Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran was concerned about his job security in the leadup to Monday’s trade deadline, acknowledging his severe struggles at the plate this season.
“To be honest, I thought I was going to be released…I am the worst player in MLB statistically,” Duran said, per the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier. “I hate looking at the numbers, but when you’re going bad, you look at the numbers and it was pretty obvious how bad I was.
“I’m just thankful that I have the opportunity to continue this run with this team and this organization, and hopefully make a playoff push.”
In 105 games this season, Duran is batting .203 with 15 home runs and a .613 OPS.
In 2025, Duran trade rumors were constant and often connected to the Padres, which carried over into the offseason with the thought that Boston’s outfield would be jammed with him among Roman Anthony, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela and Masataka Yoshida.
That potential problem went away for the time being with Anthony’s injury that has sidelined him most of the season.
Trade rumors were once again swirling at the Monday deadline for Duran, several of which mentioned the Padres again, but Red Sox brass told him shortly before the deadline that he would stay, per MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo.
In early June, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that the Red Sox had a steep asking price for teams interested in Duran, despite his woes this season.
The Red Sox were buyers at the deadline after a stunning 21-4 record in July, good for an .840 winning percentage, their best in any month in franchise history.
Their biggest splash at the deadline was acquiring former first overall pick Adley Rutschman from the Orioles. They also picked up pitcher Erik Miller and outfielder Eli White.
In the Red Sox’s 14-2 win over the White Sox on Tuesday, Duran went 2-for-4 with a home run in the first inning.
