While the Boston Red Sox have fallen off in recent weeks, falling to below .500 and essentially out of the American League postseason race, so has the play of center fielder Jarren Duran.
Duran is still hitting .285 with an .835 OPS, 21 home runs, 13 triples, 45 doubles and 32 stolen bases, but he's really been struggling recently, hitting just .211 with a .472 OPS this month.
The 28-year-old is battling to be out there each and every day for Boston.
“Physically, I’m hurting. I’m sore but I don’t like to use that as an excuse,” Duran said (via MassLive). “I just blame myself. I’m not playing good baseball right now. It’s just on me right now for not doing what I can do to be better for this team.
“I just feel like I’m doing too much right now. I feel like I’ve been known to try and press and do too much. And I can totally feel myself doing that. I’ve just gotta relax and just play and have some more fun.”
Duran has appeared in every game for the Red Sox but two this season when he was suspended for hurling a homophobic slur at a fan who criticized his performance on the field.
What he's done out there for most of the season has been incredible, and it would've been unbelievable if he kept it up for a whole season. Eventually, playing that often will start to wear someone down.
Still, Duran shouldn't be ashamed of how he's played this season. He's a big reason the Red Sox were in it for as long as they were.
