Duran optioned to Triple-A: 'He's a part of this'

BOSTON -- There didn’t seem to be an end in sight for the struggles Jarren Duran was going through offensively, so the Red Sox took some pressure off of him on Saturday by optioning the center fielder to Triple-A Worcester.

With a roster move needed to make way for the return of Trevor Story, Duran was the odd man out.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora thinks the move back to the Minors will be beneficial for the 25-year-old Duran.

“He needs to play. He needs to go down to play. There’s a few things he needs to do better offensively. I think he understands that,” said Cora.

Duran did make improvements defensively in recent weeks, which Cora made note of.

“Defensively, his jumps were a lot better. Decision-making was OK, but at least we accomplished something that we wanted going into Spring Training,” said Cora. “Right now, as far as the jumps and routes [are concerned], we feel very comfortable with him.”

It looked like Duran was going to have a solid season offensively, when he put up a line of .333/.385/.479 in 12 games in June.

But since July 1, Duran is slashing .182/.247/.318 with 52 strikeouts in 148 at-bats.

“We talked a little bit yesterday,” said Cora. “He did a few things bunting-wise while he was here. That should be a part of his game. Just keep going. He’s a part of this -- and at one point, he’s going to be back and we believe he’s going to contribute.”

What type of player does Cora envision Duran being?

“On-base percentage guy that can steal 30 bags at this level,” Cora said. “He can hit for power, but it’s not who he is. I think everybody here got caught up in him hitting the ball in the air in ’19 or ’20, whatever it was, and that’s not who he is. I don’t envision him hitting 30 home runs at the big league level. I envision him stealing 30 bags at this level, and that’s a lot. People don’t run anymore. That’s the player we envision and he knows it.

“To do that, the on-base skills have to be better. Control the strike zone, work counts, go the other way. We’re not taking away trying to do damage in the zone, but there are certain at-bats that he can go the other way. We know that. He’s done it in the past. He did it a few times here. I’m excited about it. Just go down there and play. It’s not about hitting .390 or .400 in Triple-A the rest of the season. It’s about doing the things that are going to help him to become a big leaguer.”