Jarren Duran gave baseball’s online villain debate a fresh twist Thursday night, and this time it wasn’t Dalton Rushing drawing the heat.
Rushing has mostly stayed out of the spotlight since his viral run-in with Shohei Ohtani on June 24, though Jomboy Media has still singled him out a couple of times on Twitter. Even with the noise, his bat has kept working. He’s hitting .288 with an .883 OPS in July and has continued to handle most of the catching duties while Will Smith is out.
But if there’s another player Yankees fan-led Jomboy Media wants to spotlight for the wrong reasons, Duran made a strong case in Boston’s game against the Athletics. Already a polarizing figure inside Red Sox circles and beyond, and hitting under the Mendoza line this season, Duran found himself in the middle of a frustrating moment after a flyout in a tie game.
With Masataka Yoshida on second and Willson Contreras on third, Duran lifted a ball to A’s left fielder Tyler Soderstrom. It went 245 feet to left, and Soderstrom’s arm kept Contreras at third. On the way back to the dugout, Duran reacted by yelling and gesturing at Contreras and/or third base coach Chad Epperson, appearing to mouth, "Run!"
The criticism that has followed Rushing has centered on a simple idea: if a player is going to act that way, he has to produce on the field. Duran hasn’t come close to clearing that bar this season. He has hit below .200 in all but one month, and his trade value has dropped sharply, even as the Red Sox are still reportedly seeking a huge return for him.
This wasn’t Duran’s first on-field outburst, but he did at least own the moment afterward. He said after the game, “ I f-ing suck.
Of course I’m f-ing pissed at myself. I can’t even do a f-ing job for this team.”
He later brushed off the exchange with Contreras, telling reporters it was nothing they needed to worry about.
Rushing has taken his share of criticism for not acting like the adult that he is. Duran, though, is older, has been in the league longer, and still hasn’t shown he’s figured out how to keep his emotions in check.
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