Red Sox's Alex Cora Provides Update Regarding Rising Star's New Injury
The Boston Red Sox have had some bad luck on the injury front as of late and it could have gotten a lot worse.
The big news out of Red Sox camp on Tuesday was the elbow injury to right-hander Lucas Giolito -- who appears to be done for the season. However, that was not the only injury news from a long day at Fort Myers.
Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran exited the game against the Tampa Bay Rays after three innings. The 27-year-old was seen favoring his foot during an at-bat that ended his evening.
Duran struck out, went into the dugout and never returned. It was the same foot the speedster underwent season-ending toe surgery on in August. Fortunately, the ailment was not related and appears to be short-term.
"He's Okay. His ankle is a little bit tight but that's it," manager Alex Cora told MLB.com's Ian Browne. "He'll play on Thursday."
Duran currently is battling for playing time alongside outfielders Tyler O'Neill, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela and Rob Refsynder while Masataka Yoshida is expected to primarily handle the designated hitter role.
Whether Rafaela makes the team out of spring training will have the biggest effect on Duran's ability to get on the field consistently this season.
Duran hit .295 with 44 extra-base hits including eight home runs, 40 RBIs and a .828 OPS (121 OPS+) in 102 games before suffering the aforementioned season-ending toe injury last season. He also stole 24 bases in 26 attempts and notably improved defensively from a year ago.
If healthy, Duran will have a chance to be a major contributor in what could be his first full season at the big-league level.
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