The Boston Red Sox are limping to the finish line, and that’s a familiar story at this point.
For the past three years, the Red Sox have slowly decayed in August and September, finishing both 2022 and 2023 with a 78-84 record. At 76-77, Boston appears to be headed for the most marginal of improvements in the win column, but the sentiment around the team remains the same.
Unfortunately, the Red Sox’s superstars have worn down as the season has progressed. Third baseman Rafael Devers’ numbers have fallen off a cliff, which is easily explained by his two bad shoulders. Center fielder Jarren Duran’s recent slump has been slightly more puzzling.
Duran was on track to play in all 162 games this season before being slapped with a two-game suspension for yelling a homophobic slur at a fan at Fenway Park in August. It’s been a breakout season for the 28-year-old, but the production has tailed off of late.
After Thursday’s 2-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, Duran addressed how his body has been feeling, per MassLive’s Christopher Smith.
“Physically, I’m hurting. I’m sore but I don’t like to use that as an excuse,” Duran said. “I just blame myself. I’m not playing good baseball right now. It’s just on me right now for not doing what I can do to be better for this team.”
Duran’s September has been nightmarish, a clear indicator that the toil of the season has caught up to him. He’s slashing .211/.233/.239, with just two doubles and no home runs. Extra-base hits have been his calling card all season, and those have just about evaporated.
Duran also has not stolen a base since Aug. 21, and has been caught three times in the month since.
It was telling to see Duran benched in favor of Connor Wong against a left-handed pitcher on Thursday night. It was only the seventh time he has been taken out of a game this season, and the last few had been only in cases of blowouts.
Though Duran’s slide has certainly contributed to the Red Sox’s paltry efforts in September, it’s hard to blame the player who has been the team’s spark plug all season for running low on fuel. He’ll need to recharge the batteries in hopes of repeating his success for a full 162 games in 2025.
