The Boston Red Sox have a plethora of outfielders, and the expectation this offseason was that Craig Breslow might move on from one or two of them ahead of spring training via a trade. With Roman Anthony, Masataka Yoshida, Ceddanne Rafaela, Nick Sogard, Jarren Duran, and Mickey Gasper all as outfield options, there are more capable outfielders on Boston’s roster than there are starting spots.
Jarren Duran, in particular, has become the subject of rumors surrounding what his playing time will look like, as he’s been linked in trade talks for some time now. A recent report by Red Sox insider Chris Cotillo gives insight into how Alex Cora might decide to use the All-Star outfielder.
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Report: Jarren Duran Might Not Hit vs. Left-Handed Pitchers
In Chris Cotillo’s report, the MassLive.com writer indicates that Jarren Duran might not start vs. left-handed starters.
Considering this report and the fact that Boston has not traded Jarren Duran yet, fellow outfielder Wilyer Abreu may get the runway to play every day in the Red Sox outfield.
The picture is unclear at this moment, but Duran’s split against lefties isn’t great, which makes this report by Cotillo make a lot of sense for Boston, which is competing in a tough American League East and can’t afford to have holes in its lineup during any game.
GettyJarren Duran could be traded away from Boston in the coming weeks.
In 2025, over 194 at-bats against left-handed pitching, Jarren Duran hit .211 with three home runs and an OPS of .600. Comparatively, Duran hit .277 against righty pitchers with 13 home runs, 35 doubles, and a 250-point OPS difference (.852).
Hitting lefty-lefty is one of the hardest things to do in baseball, so it’s no surprise that Duran, like most lefty hitters, struggles against southpaws.
Over 558 career AB’s against lefties, Duran has an OPS of .620 and just 30 total XBH.
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What is the Red Sox Outlook?
Everything is still up in the air, of course, as spring training has yet to start, but one can assume that Roman Anthony and Ceddanne Rafaela both have spots in the Red Sox outfield. Both Anthony and Rafaela have been extended, and Rafaela is one of the best defensive center fielders in all of baseball.
That would likely mean Wilyer Abreu and Jarren Duran would split time in the other outfield spot, but this report of Duran not playing against southpaw pitchers puts the team at a crossroads, because Abreu is also a left-handed hitter.
One of them could also see some at-bats at the DH spot, which will likely be either Yoshida, Abreu, or Duran.
It’s a good problem for Boston to have, but one that will certainly have to sort out as the 2026 regular season quickly approaches.
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