Boston Red Sox Announce Jarren Duran Move During Rays Series

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BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 2: Jarren Duran #16 of the Boston Red Sox shouts out after popping up during the fourth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park on September 2, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

The Boston Red Sox secured a massive 4-2 victory over the American League-best Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night in their series opener.

Now, ahead of Game 2 of the series on Saturday afternoon, which will feature right-handed pitchers Payton Tolle for Boston and Freddy Peralta for the Rays. Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy made some changes to his starting lineup.

Red Sox Announce Jarren Duran Move

After not playing on Friday and making zero appearances as a replacement. Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran is back in the order for Saturday’s game.

He’ll continue his stretch of starting in center field while Ceddanne Rafaela and Eli White remain sidelined with injuries, and he’ll bat eighth in the order, ahead of only Isaiah Kiner-Falefa.

Here’s the full Red Sox lineup:

Via Underdog MLB: “Red Sox 9/19 R. Anthony LF M. Gasper DH A. Rutschman C W. Abreu RF N. Sogard 1B T. Story SS C. Durbin 3B J. Duran CF I. Kiner-Falefa 2B B. Bello SP.”

Red Sox 9/19

R. Anthony LF
M. Gasper DH
A. Rutschman C
W. Abreu RF
N. Sogard 1B
T. Story SS
C. Durbin 3B
J. Duran CF
I. Kiner-Falefa 2B

B. Bello SP

— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) September 19, 2026

Duran’s 2026 Season

It’s been a tough year for the 30-year-old former All-Star. He simply hasn’t found much consistency or rhythm at the plate, and that’s led him to become more of a platoon-type player, especially when the team is fully healthy.

He has still appeared in 143 games this season. And across 532 at-bats, he’s recorded 62 runs, 108 hits, 20 home runs, and 69 RBIs while hitting just .203 with a .359 slugging percentage and a .618 OPS.

Red Sox Right Now

With Boston’s win on Friday night, the Red Sox improved to 84-70 on the season. Now, with eight games remaining in the regular season, they’re closing in on clinching a playoff spot, where they’ll likely be the second Wild Card team.

This means that if the current standings hold, they’d go on the road in the Wild Card round for a best-of-three series against the New York Yankees in the Bronx.