The Boston Red Sox have clawed their way back into the postseason picture with a 15-game win streak after the season looked all but unsalvageable. Heading into the final day of the month, Boston is 25-5 in July and in possession of a Wild Card spot as things stand.
As the Red Sox gear up for a massive weekend series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, everything is going as well as any fan could’ve hoped, other than one recurring headache: Jarren Duran.
In Thursday’s win over the Athletics, Duran appeared to take exception with Willson Contreras not tagging up from third on his pop-out to try and turn the routine out into a pop fly.
Jarren Duran was mad that Willson Contreras didn’t try to score on this pop fly pic.twitter.com/fVzqyntu5s
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) July 31, 2026
“That’s nothing.”
After the game, Duran, who is slashing a miserable .195/.252/.337, downplayed the incident.
“That’s nothing. It’s something within the team that we have that we work on, and it’s nothing,” he said after being asked about it. “Like, you guys don’t need to know. Nobody needs to know. That’s something between us and the team that we know what it’s about. So that doesn’t really matter.”
Jarren Duran says what happened on his flyout was “nothing.”
Says we don’t have to know. Nobody needs to know. Just said it’s something the team works on. pic.twitter.com/tDJlMEqg8b
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) July 31, 2026
“Might be the most toxic player in baseball”
Duran has had multiple “incidents” with fans over the years. Those, coupled with his being arguably the worst hitter in the big leagues, have led Red Sox fans to call for him to be traded or even DFA.
“Jarren Duran might be the most toxic player in baseball, by a large margin. Considering he’s one of the worst players on the team you’d think he’d be a little bit more self-aware. It would not be surprising if the Red Sox DFA him if they can’t trade him,” one fan posted on X.
“Yea man I was willing to let Duran figure out his play because he isn’t *this* bad of a player but he’s just turning into a complete cancer I need him gone,” someone else added.
“I thought Alex Verdugo was the biggest poison I’d ever see in a Red Sox uniform. Jarren Duran has had a free pass due to “mental health” in Boston for too long. Enough is enough. A vending machine full of poop holds more value,” one fan wrote.
“It has never been more imperative to get Duran off the team. by any means necessary. he just is not worth the trouble, and it’s a LOT of trouble. if another team thinks they can fix him, let em have him. no return necessary. just get lost,” another fan added.
With the August 3 trade deadline rapidly approaching, Red Sox fans won’t have to wait much longer to see what the franchise has planned for its struggling outfielder.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.