Red Sox's Jarren Duran Addresses Decrease In Playing Time As Trade Rumors Swirl

Jarren Duran knows the reality of his situation with the Boston Red Sox. It's the same reality that every player ultimately has to deal with: a total lack of control.

On any given night, Duran could be leading off and playing center field, as he was on Wednesday against the Colorado Rockies. But he could also be batting seventh against a left-handed pitcher, or out of the lineup altogether.

The Red Sox have too many outfielders, and the logjam is now approaching a tipping point. With the return of Masataka Yoshida, Boston can no longer put a regular outfielder in the designated hitter spot, which leaves Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Roman Anthony battling for three spots.

Duran also has to hear his name in trade rumors as often as pretty much anyone in the sport right now, with the San Diego Padres constantly being mentioned as a potential suitor.

But for his part, Duran says he's focusing on what he can control, while trusting Boston manager Alex Cora to juggle the lineup in a way that maximizes everyone's talents.

“A.C. has a plan and I trust him full tilt,” Duran said, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive. “Whatever he needs me to do, I’m gonna do. He let me have a little bit of (Monday) off then I came in and pinch-hit and it worked out. He’s a good manager, he’s been doing it and I trust him with whatever we need to do for the team.”

That quote came from Tuesday night, just after Duran clobbered a 456-foot home run in the late innings of a 10-2 Red Sox win over the Colorado Rockies. The next night, he homered again, and Boston won its sixth game in a row. It's easy to keep a positive attitude when things are going well, and they certainly are for Duran and the Red Sox right now.

But with a tough stretch of schedule ahead and the Jul. 31 trade deadline looming, things can change for Duran (and a handful of his teammates) at any moment.