The Red Sox chose Jarren Duran over Jackie Bradley Jr.
Breaking from the pattern of revisiting injuries, we have the Jackie Bradley Jr./Jarren Duran decision.
Days after the August 2 trade deadline, the Sox shocked fans by designating Jackie Bradley Jr. for assignment and releasing him. It was a puzzling week altogether. Sox brass claimed they were upgrading at the deadline in order to make a postseason push (hilarious), but parted ways with two of their most veteran members, Bradley and Christian Vázquez, within days of one another.
Releasing JBJ made much less sense than trading Vázquez, though that was definitely a derailing moment, too. But with Vázquez, the Sox acquired intriguing prospects in exchange for the impending free agent. With Bradley, they made the decision to release a player they were obligated to pay, knowing that any rival team could then scoop him up for the league minimum.
And that’s exactly what happened. The Toronto Blue Jays grabbed Bradley, and he returned to Fenway two weeks later, where he seemed to make every Red Sox out in his familiar outfield territory. Worse yet, the Sox paid him millions to do it.
If you’re wondering why the Red Sox would throw away a Gold Glove outfielder with great postseason experience whom they had to pay regardless, the answer is Jarren Duran.
Not a good answer, as it turns out. Duran began the season with Triple-A and spent most of the spring coming up and down from Worcester. He didn’t hit or defend well during his various big-league stints, most notably, bungling and essentially giving up on chasing down a fly ball, which resulted in Blue Jays outfielder Raimel Tapia completing an inside-the-park grand slam.
But since he’s young and supposed to be part of the team’s future, the Sox decided to give him a real shot. Again, not something you do if you’re trying to contend, though most fans didn’t buy that anyway.
The trial run lasted less than a month. On August 27, they optioned him back down to Worcester to activate none other than Trevor Story.
Not long after, the Sox made another move that displayed a lack of confidence in Duran. Despite missing more than two months, the Sox extended Kiké Hernández through 2023. Presumably, this bridges the gap to rising superstar Ceddanne Rafaela, who also plays centerfield. That doesn’t leave much room for Duran…
Tanner Houck’s back injury
Tanner Houck made a stellar debut as a starting pitcher in 2020, but in 2022, he was finding success out of the bullpen. Over 28 relief appearances, he posted a 2.70 ERA and held opposing lineups to a meager .214/.298/.289 and only six extra-base hits.
Unfortunately, Houck’s burgeoning bullpen success came to a screeching halt in early August. At the time, the Sox were miles out of the division race, but still within striking distance of one of the three Wild Cards, and at the very least, a winning record was possible.
But after back-to-back scoreless appearances on August 1 and 2 that earned him a pair of saves and cemented victories over the Houston Astros, Houck didn’t pitch again.
On August 8, the Sox announced his IL stint, retroactive to two days prior. A month later, Alex Cora gave the update that Houck needed season-ending back surgery.
Garrett Whitlock’s season would end prematurely not long after due to a hip ailment that also required surgery, but by then, the season was already a lost cause.
The Sox were 53-52 after Houck’s last appearance. They finished the year 78-84.