It was only a little more than a month ago that Jarren Duran seemed to be at a dead end with the Red Sox.
After failing to take advantage of a couple of chances in each of the previous two seasons, Duran looked like he didn't have much of a future with the organization. Although he was on the 40-man roster, the Red Sox chose non-roster invitee Raimel Tapia as their reserve lefthand-hitting outfielder for the Opening Day roster. Duran, once regarded as of the organization's top prospects, had become basically an afterthought.
If he had any trade value, the Red Sox would have probably explored moving him during the winter.
But not long after the season started, Duran was the beneficiary of a bad break for a teammate. An opening arrived when Adam Duvall, who had gotten out to such a terrific start in center, broke his left wrist. Needing a righthanded bat at the time, for a period in which they faced a steady diet of lefties, Duran was initially bypassed in favor of Bobby Dalbec. Eventually, however, Duran was summoned.
At first, Duran was platooning in center with KikΓ© Hernandez, who was bouncing between the outfield and shortstop. But Monday's injury to shortstop Yu Chang (broken hamate bone) forced Hernandez back to the infield for the time being.
Now, Duran is the logical choice in center. And if that weren't already clear, Duran seemed to stake his claim to the position even more with a breakout performance in the Red Sox' 8-6 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
Duran had three hits on the night and scored three runs. The big blow was a line drive that carried over the fence in straightaway center with the bases loaded and no out in the third inning -- his first homer of the season and first grand slam of his career.
In nine games with the Sox, Duran is now slashing .387/.417/.645 with 10 RBI. Half of his hits have gone for extra bases.
After much tinkering with his hands and his stance in recent years, Duran appears to have settled on an approach that works for him. He's brought his hands up higher in his set-up, which enables him to get to pitches at the top of the zone. It also frees him to take a more level swing path, allowing to him drive the ball on a line, rather than hit empty fly balls.
"I'm not trying to do too much with the ball right now,'' Duran told reporters after the game, "and it just happens that I've been hitting the ball really good up the middle and other way. If it's in, I'm pulling. I'm just trying to put a good swing on the ball wherever it's pitched and not try to do too much.''
The batter's box isn't the only place where Duran has shown marked improvement so far. On Monday, he expertly tracked down a hard line drive to left center from James McCann and made an impressive catch. It was a play that he was unlikely to make last year, when his defense was marked by uncertainty. Duran seemed unsure of his routes at times, and despite his speed, wasn't getting good jumps.
"I'm not trying to get too high and I'm not trying to get too low,'' said Duran. "I'm just trying to stay neutral, you know, because this game is really hard and tomorrow, I could go 0-for-4. I just gotta ride the wave, hang out with the boys and keep a smile on my face.''
If there's an obvious difference in Duran's persona this year, it's that he's playing with far more confidence. He was tentative in each of his first two seasons, at times paralyzed by the prospect of failure. He confided in teammates that he had nightmares about being a bust in the big leagues, and that was evident when he was on the field. Unsure of himself and trying too hard, he met with predictably negative results.
Duran acknowledged as much last week, when he spoke of being afraid to make a mistake in 2023, for fear that his teammates and coaching staff would become angry with him. Now, he's playing freer, convinced that he not only belongs in the big leagues, but that he's earned the respect -- and help -- of his teammates and coaches.
No longer afraid, he's letting his considerable talent take over. He's had to many extra-base hits that it's been hard to find opportunities to utilize his elite speed. He has two stolen bases in two tries. More will come, especially if he continues to get on base.
''I feel like I'm playing loose and trying to have fun as much as I can,'' said Duran, for whom fun seemed like an alien concept as recently as last year. "I have a good group of guys behind me that make it really easy for me.''