Red Sox's Jarren Duran says obscene gesture was in response to fan who told him to kill himself

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Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran, who has been public with his mental health struggles, said a fan told him to kill himself during Tuesday's game against the Minnesota Twins.

Duran, who went 0 for 4 in the 6-0 loss that dropped the Red Sox to 6-11 on the season, was seen raising his middle finger toward a fan in the seats after grounding out in the fifth inning. "Somebody just told me to kill myself," Duran explained post-game to reporters, including the Associated Press. "I'm used to it at this point, you know? I mean, shit happens. I mean, I'm gonna flip somebody off if they say something to me, but it is what it is. I shouldn't react like that, but that kind of stuff is still kind of triggering."

The 29-year-old Duran last year revealed in a Netflix series that he had attempted suicide in 2022. "I mean, the whole purpose of me sharing is just kind of to get it out there and let people know that they're not alone," Duran said of his personal disclosure at the time. "Even if I could just help one person, it's meaningful. So I'm just trying to let people know that there's always help and to make sure that they're reaching out."

Jump ahead to Tuesday, and Duran suggested that the incident with the fan in Minnesota was giving him second thoughts. "Honestly, it's my fault for talking about my mental health because I kind of brought in the haters. So I've just got to get used to it," Duran said. "I was just trying to hold it in and not really bring that up to the team. I mean, we're trying to win a game. I shouldn't even bring that up to anybody. ... It just happens."

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said after the game that he did not see the incident and, as of Tuesday night, had not reviewed footage of it.

Duran, an All-Star in 2024 and a top-10 finisher in the AL MVP vote that year, on the current season is batting .182/.274/.291 with one home run in 14 games.