Red Sox's Jarren Duran Sends First Message To Fans After Staying In Boston

We'll never truly know how close Jarren Duran was to being traded this year.

Would it have happened if Marcelo Mayer hadn't suffered a wrist injury a week before the deadline? It's certainly a reasonable question, and it also leaves the door open for Duran to possibly be traded this winter.

But that's out the window, at least for now. What matters is that Duran manned left field for the Boston Red Sox on Monday night, the team's fourth win in a row since the deadline and sixth straight overall, and he clubbed a monster three-run home run with two outs in the first inning.

After the Red Sox's 8-5 win, Duran spoke on camera about the trade deadline for the first time in an on-field interview with NESN's Tom Caron. Caron asked him what his message would be to the fans who were happy to see him stick around.

"I'm just thankful," Duran responded. "I didn't really take it into consideration, I mean, I tried not to stress about it, but for everybody that was behind me, I'm thankful. And as much as they love me, I love them back."

Duran is also sounding like a man grateful to be playing his home games at Fenway Park, where the Red Sox are now an impressive 38-21 this season. He spoke to Caron about the team's home-field advantage this season, which has been lacking in his last couple seasons with the club.

"It's getting pretty loud, and we're not even into playoff baseball yet," Duran said. "I'm getting butterflies seeing how loud it gets. It's exciting stuff. I think we've just got to keep our heads down and keep working, because I feel like that's what we've been doing all year, and it's showing."

With Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Roman Anthony all under team control through at least 2029, Duran's days in Boston could still very well be numbered. The All-Star knows that. But the Red Sox are lucky that for now, he's not only on their side, but excited to still be there.