After enjoying a breakout campaign in 2024 with the Boston Red Sox, Jarren Duran has remained an integral piece of the team in 2025, even if he has been unable to reach the same heights he hit last year to this point.
Earlier this season, Duran turned heads for something that took place last season during the Red Sox’s documentary on the 2024 campaign, “The Clubhouse: A Year With the Red Sox,” which aired on Netflix back in April.
In the documentary, Duran revealed that his early struggles in the majors with the Red Sox prompted him to attempt to commit suicide in 2022. The revelation sparked widespread attention, with Duran receiving an outpouring of support from fans and folks across the league.
While there was an isolated incident during a game against the Cleveland Guardians where a fan taunted Duran for sharing his mental health struggles, the overall response has been very positive. And according to the man himself, he is grateful that he decided to speak out on the issue because of the impact he has managed to have on others.
“At first, I was really nervous, because I have never shared something like that to that extent,” Duran said on the “Section 10 Podcast.” “But the amount of positive help that kids have come up to me at stadiums saying, ‘Hey, I’m alive because of you.’ I would throw my world out there even more if it were to help kids like that.”
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“That means everything to me, for them to tell me that kind of stuff. And that even helps me, like, ‘This kid’s here because of me? Alright, I’ve gotta keep going for him and then the next person and then the next person.’ It meant a lot for those kids to come up to me. Except for the fan in Cleveland, you’re lucky I didn’t get to you.
Through 81 games, Duran is hitting .254 with five home runs and 38 RBIs. He’s leading the league in plate appearances (372), at-bats (342), and triples (eight), as he’s been a consistent presence in Boston’s seemingly ever-changing lineup.
In the wake of the Rafael Devers trade, Duran is more important to the Red Sox lineup than ever before. He will look to help his squad get back in the win column on Friday night when they open a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays.
