One day after homering off former teammate Chris Sale, Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran stayed red hot at the plate, blasting two more home runs Saturday in Boston’s 13-8 win over the Twins.
In the first inning, after a one-out triple by Trevor Story, Duran crushed a Taj Bradley fastball for a two-run homer. Three innings later, he launched another two-run blast over the center-field wall.
Duran drove in four runs out of the No. 3 spot in the lineup Saturday and now has three homers over his last two games. His first blast traveled 401 feet into the bullpen with an exit velocity of 102.7 mph, while his second left the bat at 103.2 mph and carried 409 feet.
It’s difficult to put much stock into spring training results, but Duran’s early power surge is an encouraging sign for a Red Sox team searching for another legitimate threat in the middle of the order alongside Willson Contreras, Story, and Wilyer Abreu.
Alex Cora penciled Duran in as the designated hitter on Saturday, and he’s expected to see time in that role throughout the season, allowing Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Abreu to form an athletic outfield group for Boston.
Once the regular season begins, Duran is expected to hit third—behind leadoff man Anthony and Story—and one spot ahead of Contreras.
After setting a career high with 21 home runs in 2024, Duran hit just 16 in 2025. His slugging percentage dipped from .492 to .442, and he managed only three home runs against left-handers all season.
Duran will soon depart Red Sox camp to join Team Mexico ahead of the World Baseball Classic, which begins late next week. In his first five Grapefruit League games, the 29-year-old is hitting .583 (7-for-12) with three home runs, five doubles, five RBIs, and a 2.167 OPS.
What’s behind Duran’s early success in Grapefruit League play?
Cora believes the speedy outfielder has shortened his swing, allowing him to get more direct to the baseball and stay on time at the plate.
“I know it’s early, but JD seems like a different hitter,” Cora said on February 22. “Hitting the ball really hard to the pull side. Getting to some pitches that last year probably he didn’t get (to). Expecting a lot of big things from him.”
“Be on time and hit the ball hard—that’s what we want,” Cora added. “It felt like last year he was caught between different batting techniques.” Between the leg kick and this and that. And this year, in the offseason, the work was about that — just be on time.”
“When he’s on time and swinging at pitches in the zone, he hits it hard. He’s done it the whole spring.”
Duran isn’t your prototypical No. 3 hitter, but he started 25 games in that spot last season. In 112 plate appearances batting third, he hit .266/.384/.479 with four home runs, eight doubles, 15 RBIs, and an .863 OPS.
One notable detail from Duran’s power surge over the past two days is that both home runs came against left-handed pitching. He wasn’t particularly effective in those matchups last season, hitting just .211 with a .600 OPS and three home runs in 209 plate appearances against lefties.
Throughout the winter, there was plenty of online discourse surrounding what Duran’s role would look like this season. Trade rumors swirled, but Craig Breslow chose to keep both Duran and Abreu despite the outfield logjam.
If Duran can provide this level of power production, Breslow will have made the right call in holding onto the left-handed hitter.
Mayer’s Impressive Spring Debut
Marcelo Mayer made his spring debut Friday — one week after Grapefruit League play began — and it was worth the wait.
Facing the Braves, the left-handed hitter crushed a fourth-inning home run off closer Raisel Iglesias. Mayer, who started at second base, worked a 3-1 count before hammering a sinker over the heart of the plate. The ball left his bat at 105.3 mph and traveled 381 feet at CoolToday Park in North Port, Florida.
“The kid can hit,” Cora said after the game. “We know that. … It was a good day. A really good day.”
Mayer debuted after he and the team felt he was ready for regular game action following season-ending wrist surgery last year. Cora made headlines late last week by noting the 23-year-old isn’t guaranteed a starting job at either second or third base.
It still seems likely Mayer will start at one of those spots — at least against right-handed pitching — with newcomer
