Red Sox CF Jarren Duran will miss the rest of the 2023 season

Tom VazquezAugust 29, 2023

Red Sox

“He had a good season. He did well for us. He’s a guy we’re counting on for the future.”

Jarren Duran was one of the Red Sox’s biggest surprises of the 2023 season. Vincent Alban for the Boston Globe

Jarren Duran’s 2023 season is over.

Ahead of Tuesday night’s Boston home game against the Houston Astros, Alex Cora announced that Duran will miss the remainder of the 2023 season due to a turf toe injury that requires surgery.

Cora added that the 26-year-old outfielder is expected to be released for spring training next February.

Jarren Duran is out for the season. He’s having surgery for a sod toe.

— Julian McWilliams (@byJulianMack) August 29, 2023

The speedy midfielder suffered a sprained left toe on Aug. 20 while attempting to scale the fence at Yankee Stadium to steal a home run from New York infielder Gleyber Torres. He was initially moved to the 10-day IL last week, but additional scans and testing indicated no realistic return in September.

“We’re calling it a bad turf toe at the moment,” Cora said. transcribed by Sean McAdam of MassLive.com. “When they come in there [surgically], we’ll see where we stand with that. He will lose the season and is expected to come back and be ready for spring training. You have to go in there and take care of it, so we’ll learn more about it [Wednesday].

“It’s always tough when you lose a player. But it’s something he’ll be fine with. This happens throughout your career. The time for this (is not optimal). But he had a good season. He did well for us. He’s a man we’re counting on for the future. He’ll be fine and he’ll get back on his feet.”

Duran has been one of the biggest surprises for the Red Sox this season, evolving from a potential MLB fringe player into one of baseball’s most electrifying players over the course of the summer.

Called up in mid-April to replace the injured Adam Duvall, Duran established himself with the Red Sox thanks to his improved game both on and off the field.

After batting just .221 with a .645 OPS in 58 games last season, Duran went on to .295/.346/.482 with an .828 OPS. He hit eight home runs, had 40 runs and also stole 24 bases in 102 games.

His speed on the basepaths routinely allowed him to turn seemingly harmless bloops and line-drive singles into extra-base hits, with his 34 doubles earning him fourth place in the AL. Duran’s improved defense after several outfield mishaps last year further encouraged Cora to provide him with stable attacks throughout the season.

“It’s been a really good year,” Cora said of Duran’s year, according to McAdam. “In the end, the numbers are the numbers, right? And that’s how people rate players. On base percentage, slugging percentage, and stolen bases have all gotten a little better defensively. … He’s been through the ups and downs. He was hot, then he fought (he recovered). He had a really good season.”

But with Durran now on the mend, the Red Sox will likely relinquish some of those attacks to rookie center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela. fellow freshman Wilyer Abreu will also earn some more playing time, although he is currently on the MLB paternity list.