Red Sox activate Jackie Bradley Jr. from paternity leave list, option Jarren Duran to Triple-A Worcester

Before opening a four-game series against the Angels in Anaheim on Monday night, the Red Sox activated outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. from the paternity leave list. In a corresponding move, fellow outfielder Jarren Duran was optioned to Triple-A Worcester following Sunday’s 5-2 win over the Athletics in Oakland, the team announced.

Bradley Jr. returns to the Sox after spending the last three days away from the team to be with his wife Erin for the birth of their third child, Elle, at home in Naples, Fla.

In 48 games with Boston this season, the left-handed hitting 32-year-old is batting .227/.284/.353 with 14 doubles, one triple, one home run, 20 RBIs, nine runs scored, one stolen base, 12 walks, and 34 strikeouts over 164 plate appearances.

Bradley Jr. will bat ninth and start in center field for the Sox in Monday’s series opener at Angel Stadium. It will mark just his fourth start in center this year as Enrique Hernandez has the day off and is therefore out of the lineup.

Duran, meanwhile, returns to Worcester after filling in for Bradley Jr. over the weekend. The speedy 25-year-old appeared in two games and went 3-for-9 at the plate with one run scored and four strikeouts.

This was Duran’s second big-league stint of the year. He previously started one game against the White Sox on May 6 while Hernandez spent a very brief amount of time on the COVID-19 related injured list.

With the WooSox this season, Duran is slashing .314/.393/.523 with 12 doubles, four triples, four home runs, 22 RBIs, 31 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, 19 walks, and 42 strikeouts over 37 games spanning 173 trips to the plate. The left-handed hitter was also riding a 29-game on-base streak at the time he was called back up on Friday.