This story was excerpted from Ian Browne’s Red Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ARLINGTON – On Saturday night, Jarren Duran grimaced as he crossed first base, and then grabbed his right side. At another point in the game, he looked like he felt something again on a swing and miss.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora came out with a member of the training staff. Duran’s message was essentially two words.

“I’m good.”

By Sunday morning, Duran’s torso was bandaged with a heated pad. But that was maintenance.

Duran hasn’t sat all season and he knows this isn’t the time, not with the Red Sox (59-51) trying to slim their deficits in both the American League East (6 1/2 games behind the Orioles) and the Wild Card standings (2 1/2 games back of the Royals).

While Cora keeps reminding people that the Red Sox haven’t conceded the division, the Wild Card is going to come into focus these next three days, beginning Monday.

The Red Sox are in Kansas City, and the Royals (63-50) are the team Boston is chasing for that third spot.

For Duran, this is no time to be injured. And after keeping his season-long streak going with start No. 110 on Sunday, Duran wanted to make it clear that he isn’t injured.

“There’s no injury. No injury,” said Duran. “I mean, I had a lot of the guys telling me, like, ‘Hey, just be smart about it,’ because they know how it is. And I was just trusting our medical staff, and I passed all the tests that we did. And I was like, ‘Hey, I'm ready to go,’ so they let me go.”

And go is what Duran did yet again to key a 7-2 win over the Rangers on Sunday at Globe Life Field.

In the third inning, with David Hamilton on the run, Duran perfectly placed a line-drive double to center. Hamilton would have had second base stolen easily. Instead he roared home from first on Duran’s two-bagger.

Duran’s next at-bat came in the fifth, and he tagged a solo homer against former teammate Nathan Eovaldi to give the Red Sox their first lead of the day.

One thing that’s tough to do is to get Duran to say much about his own performance, even after a day like Sunday, when he reached base four times and also stole two bases.

“I mean, we did such a great thing as a team today,” said Duran. “Everybody contributed. We all did our part, and it was just a really good team win. We did everything really good today. So I'm really proud of us as a team.”

A compelling case can be made that no player has had a bigger impact on the 2024 Sox than Duran, who has a line of .296/.355/.515 with 78 runs, 138 hits, 34 doubles, 13 triples, 14 homers, 55 RBIs and 26 stolen bases. This, while playing solid defense in left and center field.

Just as big as the numbers is that Duran posts – every single game.

As important as Duran is to the Red Sox, Cora didn’t insert him into Sunday’s lineup until he knew for sure it wouldn’t set his star leadoff man back or risk further injury.

“He’s good,” said Cora. “We’re being smart, [trainer] Brandon [Henry] did everything. All the tests came for oblique stuff and he was good. Showed up today, got some treatment and he’s ready to go. If he’s healthy, he’s playing. That’s the way I see it. We’ve got an off-day on Thursday. We’re in the middle of the race and he’s one of our best players.”

Cora also praised his other All-Star position player, slugger Rafael Devers, for being a constant in the lineup the last few months. Early on, Devers was slowed by a left shoulder injury and a right knee ailment.

The Red Sox were conservative with his playing time then, and now they are reaping the benefits. Devers has played his team’s last 44 games, belting the ball to the tune of a .330/.391/.665 line with 12 homers.

“He's been very responsible with his treatment. Let's be honest, he's not 100 percent,” said Cora. “He's still producing at a high level. Just going to the training room when he has to. Doing everything in the weight room that he needs to and obviously going out there and performing.”