Red Sox Star's New Hitting Approach Not Paying Off In 2026

Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran

Red Sox Star's New Hitting Approach Not Paying Off In 2026 originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Several Boston Red Sox stars are off to slow starts this year, and Jarren Duran is one of them.

Through 19 games, the former All-Star is batting .194/.266/.306 with one home run, 22 strikeouts and 14 hits.

Inconsistent playing time hasn't helped, as he's been a victim of the Red Sox's outfield logjam.

His new approach hasn't helped, either, as he's pulling the ball more than ever before.

Entering Thursday's series finale against the New York Yankees, Duran has the highest pull rate of his career at 40 percent and the lowest opposite field rate of his career at 18 percent, according to FanGraphs.

For reference, his career pull rate is 34.7 percent and his career opposite field rate is 28 percent, showing just how extreme his splits have become.

For a left-handed hitter at Fenway Park, that's a bad strategy. Right field is massive but the Green Monster is close, so Duran would be better off pulling the ball less and going the other way more frequently.

It's not a coincidence that his stats have worsened over the last two seasons as he's become increasingly pull-happy. Perhaps he's trying to hit for more power, but if he wants to get back to his MVP-caliber performance from 2024, he should consider going back to his old approach.

More MLB: Alex Cora Shakes Up Red Sox's Lineup Again For Pivotal Series Finale Vs. Yankees