Red Sox Announces Jarren Duran Decision During Blue Jays Series

The Boston Red Sox are looking to get back in the win column on Wednesday against the Toronto Blue Jays after dropping the first two games of the four-game series.

Boston has been outscored 7-4 through the first two games, with Toronto gaining some nice ground in the wild-card race. Entering this series, the Red Sox had been one of the hottest teams in baseball, but the Blue Jays have played well against their American League East rivals.

So for the Red Sox to get back on track, they will need some solid performances from the star players. One of them is outfielder Jarren Duran, who has struggled for the majority of the 2026 season.

Jarren Duran Decision Announced vs Blue Jays

But entering the third game of this series, Duran will be batting seventh in the lineup. The Red Sox dropped the lineup for the contest ahead of the game starting.

Red Sox 8/12

M. Yoshida DH
C. Rafaela CF
A. Rutschman C
W. Contreras 1B
W. Abreu RF
C. Durbin 3B
J. Duran LF
A. Monasterio SS
N. Sogard 2B

R. Suarez SP

— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) August 12, 2026

Duran has been one of the bigger talking points for the Red Sox this season, with him underperforming. The outfielder has hit just .202 with 16 home runs and 60 RBIs, while posting an OPS of .616.

Despite his issues, the Red Sox have battled back from an early-season deficit, with others stepping up. But for Boston to become the team that they want to be, Duran will need to turn back into his All-Star form.

Things got so bad for Duran this season that the veteran believed the Red Sox could release him. But the team has decided to stick with the former All-Star to see if he can break out of the slump.

“To be honest, I thought I was going to be released… I am the worst player in MLB statistically. 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,” Duran said. “I thought I was going to be released… 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.”

Should Boston Red Sox Trade Jarren Duran?

The Red Sox will have some big decisions to make around Duran after the season ends, but for now, he’s part of the roster. Duran is still under team control for two more seasons, so the Red Sox don’t necessarily have to trade him.

But if they did, whatever team that would land him would have him for a few seasons. Duran could use a change of scenery in the worst way, but it remains to be seen what the Red Sox will do with him moving forward.

Duran has been involved in trade rumors over the last few seasons, but to this point, Boston has held off. However, after the season he has put together, the Red Sox may finally look to unload him during the offseason.

Matt Levine Matt Levine is a veteran sports journalist covering MLB, NFL, College Football, NBA, NHL, and more for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2026. More about Matt Levine