There are certain words, most notably “bust,” that no professional athlete should ever want to hear their name associated with. Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran is inching closer to another noteworthy, negative term: “Distraction.”

Duran, who turns 30 in September, is struggling through a season to forget. He enters play on Tuesday hitting .194 with a .577 OPS, and he turned heads last month for flipping his middle finger at a heckling Minnesota Twins fan. Duran will not be easy for the Red Sox to trade, especially as his off-field antics don’t match his on-field production.

Jarren Duran is a distraction on and off the field for Red Sox

Things took another ugly turn this past weekend, when Duran called out NBC Sports Boston analyst Michael Holley on Instagram. Holley accused the Red Sox and interim manager Chad Tracy of lying about outfielder Roman Anthony’s right hand sprain.

Additionally, Holley called the situation “one of the biggest flops ever,” though it’s unclear whether those comments were specifically aimed at Anthony.

“They let people like this on NBC Sports,” Duran wrote on his Instagram story, adding a clown emoji and a crying laughing emoji.

Duran later deleted his Instagram account, the latest chapter in a growing — and extremely concerning — list of concerning interactions and decisions.

Jarren Duran and the Red Sox are in an extremely difficult situation

When discussing Duran and his history of engaging with others, we must make it clear that we are not excusing the fans who have taunted Duran about his mental health. Duran previously admitted to attempting suicide in 2022, and the Cleveland Guardians banned a fan last year after referencing that to mock him.

Additionally, Duran said the aforementioned Twins fan told him to kill himself last month. Neither Major League Baseball nor the Red Sox disciplined Duran for that gesture.

Duran calling Holley a “clown” doesn’t quite compare, at least not at first glance. It was unnecessary, and the veteran outfielder escalated the situation

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However, there is a conversation to be had about whether the Red Sox must work with Duran on how he handles these kinds of problems going forward. It’s one thing for Duran to defend his teammate, but deleting his Instagram entirely after bashing Holley? That is a massive problem, primarily because it brings unwanted attention to Duran.

And that’s where the difficult conversations begin. Whether or not you believe Duran was justified in flipping off that Twins fan is a matter of personal opinion.

To Duran’s credit, there haven’t been any repeats of the 2024 incident when he used a homophobic slur against a taunting fan. The Red Sox suspended Duran for two games, and he donated over $8,000 in lost salary to PFLAG, an LGBT advocacy group.

In the grand scheme of things, Duran calling out a media member on Instagram is nothing new. Kevin Durant has used Twitter/X for years to hold people accountable, and longtime Seahawks corner Richard Sherman regularly sparred with reporters on the same platform.

At some point, though, there must be some kind of middle ground — and, with respect to Duran, he doesn’t have the leverage that Durant or Sherman did. Durant is a future Hall of Famer and one of the greatest players in NBA history. Sherman was a perennial All-Pro in his prime and built his own Hall of Fame case.

Then, there is Duran, who isn’t even hitting his listed weight (205 pounds) on a last-place Red Sox team.

What is the next step for Jarren Duran and the Red Sox?

Productive players get away with far more, as unfair as that may be. Duran is a topic of discussion because he’s amid a dreadful season. The best thing that Duran can do is focus on turning things around and ignoring whatever the media says. Granted, that’s a cliché, and it’s far easier said than done.

If things don’t change and Duran develops a reputation as the struggling former All-Star who battles anyone who comes in his way, would the Red Sox eventually reach a point where they simply cut ties?

We’re not even at Memorial Day, and Duran has time to right the ship on the field. Off the field, though, is where Duran can easily step up and not let the Holley incident be a sign of things to come.