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The Red Sox can’t seem to catch a break lately, and heading into a massive series against the Blue Jays up in Toronto they are going to be without one of their outfielders. The team announced prior to Friday’s series opener that they have placed Jarren Duran on the COVID-related injured list. Jonathan Araúz was called back up to take his spot on the roster.
The #RedSox today placed outfielder Jarren Duran on the COVID-19 Related Injured List.
— Red Sox (@RedSox) August 6, 2021
To fill Duran’s spot on the active roster, the Red Sox recalled infielder Jonathan Araúz from Triple-A Worcester.
The good news is that this seems to be a situation similar to the one Matt Barnes went through last week. Duran experienced symptoms like COVID, but has not yet tested positive. In Barnes’ case, he was out for only a game. The hope, of course, is that the same will be said for Duran.
Duran has not tested positive, Cora said. It's similar to the situation with Matt Barnes earlier this week.
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) August 6, 2021
Duran has typically been in center field against right-handed pitching, and the Red Sox will be facing a righty in Manoah on Friday. Kiké Hernández will be moving out to center for the day, while Marwin Gonzalez gets the start at second base.
This will be Araúz’s third stint in the majors this season. In 17 plate appearances, he is hitting .286/.412/.357. He will likely just be a bench player tonight in case of injury and potentially as a pinch runner later in the game if it makes sense.
In other news, we may have seen the last start of the season from Martín Pérez on Thursday. The southpaw was taken out with just one out in the second inning, and then on Friday Alex Cora announced Pérez will be moving to the bullpen. Tanner Houck will likely be the one to take his spot in the rotation.
Sox have sent Martín Pérez to the bullpen.
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) August 6, 2021
The assumption is that Pérez will serve in a long relief role, and potentially match up against lefties in more traditional relief usage. He doesn’t have the kind of stuff one would think would play up in shorter outings. He likely isn’t the only starter who will lose his rotation spot soon either, with Chris Sale returning and Garrett Richards likely making his last start on Sunday.
Update (4:22 PM)
Jarren Duran’s agent indicates he’s tested negative multiple times, and is only on the list because he is experiencing symptoms.
Per Jarren Duran’s agent, Barret Arthur, Duran has had multiple negative tests for COVID-19. His placement on the COVID-19 injury list, as of now, is based purely on symptoms.
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) August 6, 2021