The Boston Red Sox secured a series-opening victory over the Los Angeles Angels, 5-2, on Monday night.
Boston erupted for four runs in the bottom of the second inning, with outfielder Jarren Duran breaking the game open by hitting his 20th home run of the season.
Now, ahead of Game 2 on Tuesday night, which will feature Angels ace Reid Detmers against Boston left-hander Patrick Sandoval, Red Sox manager Chad Tracy made a sudden lineup change involving Duran.
Red Sox Announce Duran Decision
After Duran recorded a two-hit game, Tracy has elected to hold him out of the starting lineup for Tuesday’s clash.
This will likely become more common as players continue to return from injuries. The outfield will now consist of Roman Anthony in left field, Eli White in center field and Wilyer Abreu in right.
It’s somewhat interesting considering the Red Sox just placed outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela on the IL. Anthony has lately started at designated hitter, which has allowed Duran and White to play alongside one another with Abreu in right field.
Here’s the Red Sox full lineup:
Via Underdog MLB: “Red Sox 9/8 R. Anthony LF J. Jones DH W. Abreu RF T. Story SS N. Sogard 1B C. Durbin 3B A. Monasterio 2B E. White CF C. Wong C P. Sandoval SP.”
Red Sox 9/8
R. Anthony LF
J. Jones DH
W. Abreu RF
T. Story SS
N. Sogard 1B
C. Durbin 3B
A. Monasterio 2B
E. White CF
C. Wong CP. Sandoval SP
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) September 8, 2026
Duran’s 2026 Season
It’s been a challenging 2026 campaign for Duran, who wasn’t even sure he’d remain with the Red Sox beyond the Aug. 4 trade deadline.
As mentioned, he’s hit 20 home runs while totaling 69 RBIs and 18 stolen bases. However, he’s batting just .204 this season with a .365 slugging percentage and a .624 OPS, which simply isn’t going to cut it for a team looking to make a World Series run.
Boston Red Sox Announce Sudden Jarren Duran Decision During Angels Series