Plus, the Sox reportedly pull Jarren Duran off the table.
Aroldis Chapman is a very important part of the Red Sox roster. That’s particularly true this week as his trade market is no-doubt red hot, even if the Sox are unlikely to sell (or at least they better be). So it was certainly nervy yesterday, when he came into the 8th inning against the Dodgers, was immediately wild, and then was removed from the game after facing three hitters. But, for now, it looks like there’s no major injury concern, as Chapman reportedly left the game with a bit of back tightness that he had hoped to pitch through. He is considered day-to-day. (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)
Like Chapman, Jarren Duran has also found himself stuck in a gyre of trade rumors. He doesn’t seem too stressed about it, though, as he fights through the pressure to follow-up on last year’s star performance. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
Jarren Duran’s play in the outfield has notably declined from last year. He’s hardly the only defensive issue the Sox are dealing with though, as they continue to give free bases to the opposition. (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)
Could Duran net the sox Mitch Keller from the Pirates or Dustin May from the Dodgers? Those are a couple of the theoretical deals floated in this trade deadline speculation piece. (Jim Bowden, The Athletic)
But as a general rule, don’t get too worked up over any potential deals you see floated in the media. As Alex Cora, himself a former employee of ESPN attests, a lot of this shit is made up. (Tom Carroll, WEEI)
And, anyway, Duran may have showed just how valuable he is to the team over the course of the weekend’s Dodgers series. in fact, according to league sources, the Sox are no longer considering dealing him. (Rob Bradford, WEEI)