Jarren Duran had fighting words — but didn’t feel like fighting anymore.
The Red Sox outfielder took aim at NBC Sports Boston’s Michael Holley, after the analyst called Roman Anthony’s tenure with the team “one of the biggest flops ever” so far and accused the franchise of lying about his recent injury.
Anthony, who’s in his second year in the majors, was placed on the 10-day IL last week with a right hand sprain – though Holley wasn’t buying that timeline.
“I understand why all teams do it, but let’s just be honest. All teams lie. They lie about injuries, they just do,” Holley said.
“… Why are you playing games with us? This is an unnecessary lie. We know you’re lying. Stop it. ‘He’s day-to-day.’ No, he’s not! And then [interim manager] Chad Tracy doubling down, ‘Oh, he’s gonna be on the IL, on the shorter end-‘ No, he’s not, Chad! No, he’s not!”
Holley’s comments did not sit well with Duran, who indicated on his Instagram story that the pundit was a “clown.”
“They let people like this on nbc sports,” Duran captioned a clip of Holley’s rant, along with a clown emoji and laughing-crying emoji.
However, fans soon realized that Duran’s Instagram account had been deleted, with the link to his page saying it is unavailable.
Holley noted that he was rooting for Anthony, who made his debut in the majors last season at just 21 years old.
But he’s hit just .229 in 30 games this year – with his latest injury potentially keeping him out for an extended stretch.
Duran, meanwhile, is having an even tougher time at the plate, as he’s slashing .194/.253/.324 for Boston this year.
Overall, it’s been a difficult start to the season for the Red Sox, who are 17-23 after firing Alex Cora last month.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
