Jarren Duran is a top prospect for the Red Sox that has taken a meteoric rise into the starting lineup. The last prospect to burst onto the scene with a similar ascent was Mookie Betts, lets hope history repeats itself. Duran is the #86 prospect in baseball according to MLB.com. With his pedigree, Duran did not get promoted to sit on the bench. Duran is going to be an everyday outfielder, getting most of his reps in centerfield. That leaves Bobby Dalbec as the odd man out, due to the versatility of the Red Sox position players.
Kiké Hernandez will be moved primarily to second base after finding a home in centerfield for majority of the season. However, Christian Arroyo has become an essential element to the 2021 Red Sox offense and will not be leaving the starting lineup anytime soon. Boston has been giving Arroyo practice reps at first base the past week and are finally ready to put him out there in a game tonight versus the Yankees. It will be Arroyo’s first major league start at first base. With Dalbec struggling mightily versus right-handed pitching (.187/.246/.342), Arroyo is set to take over. Dalbec will still start versus left-handed pitching going forward, who he’s had much more success against (.272/.292/.511).
As a fan of Bobby Dalbec, this move does hurt a little. However, the move makes the team more dynamic and will put both Dalbec and Duran in better positions to succeed. It will give Dalbec a chance to prove his value to the team while both Danny Santana and Marwin Gonzalez work back from their respective injurie’s. Cora has said that Santana will be coming back once he is cleared to play, despite Santana being one of the worst players in Major League Baseball in 2021. Chavis will be the likely sacrifice down to Worchester. Once Gonzalez returns, Santana and Dalbec will be the last two players battling for one roster spot, barring injuries to other position players. If Dalbec can continue to rake versus left-handed pitching, he may be able to keep his spot on the roster. In the meantime, we get to see what kind of spark Jarren Duran can provide for the Boston Red Sox, who are fighting to stay in first place.
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