Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran tests positive for COVID-19

Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran has tested positive for COVID-19, manager Alex Cora told reporters (including Steve Hewitt of the Boston Herald). Boston had placed Duran, who had been feeling virus-like symptoms, on the COVID IL before tonight’s game. Catcher Connor Wong was recalled to take his active roster spot.

Duran becomes the eighth Red Sox player to test positive over the past week. Kiké Hernández, Christian Arroyo, Martín Pérez, Matt Barnes, Hirokazu Sawamura, Xander Bogaerts and Yairo Muñoz have all tested positive and are currently unavailable, as is reliever Josh Taylor (who was isolated as a close contact). Despite the series of hits to the roster, the Red Sox have pushed their lead over the Athletics to three games in the race for the American League’s final wild-card spot.

One of the game’s top prospects, Duran got his first big league call in mid-July. The 24-year-old has had some struggles at the plate to begin his big-league career, hitting just .215/.241/.336 with a pair of homers over his first 112 plate appearances.