Alex Bregman highlights teammate Jarren Duran's revelation on mental health driving a wave of teens to seek help

Alex Bregman highlights teammate Justin Durran's vulnerability on mental health (Image source - Getty)

Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran had a breakthrough year with the American League East team in 2024, earning his maiden All-Star selection last season.

However, the heights of 2024 came only after years of struggles. In the Netflix docuseries "The Clubhouse: A Year With the Red Sox," the All-Star outfielder revealed that he had attempted suicide in 2022.

In the fourth episode of the eight-episode series, Duran shared his mental state after early struggles in his baseball career. He said:

“I got to the point where I was sitting in my room, I had my rifle, and I had a bullet, and I pulled the trigger, and the gun clicked, but nothing happened. To this day I think God just didn’t let me take my own life because I seriously don’t know why it didn’t go off.”

Following the revelation, New England Sports Network (NESN) reported that Duran's words inspired teens struggling with mental health to seek help.

"Samaritan see massive uptick in teens seeking help in response to Duran's openness about mental health," NESN wrote in an image shared on Instagram.

Jarren Duran's new Red Sox teammate, Alex Bregman, who joined the team in the offseason, shared the post from NESN in his Instagram story.

Jarren Duran receives support from Red Sox teammates and management

After the episode had aired, Jarren Duran talked about the importance of mental health. He hoped that his story would inspire others, struggling with mental health issues, to seek help.

"Talking about this wasn't easy, but it felt important," Duran said in a statement on Tuesday. "I knew that if I was going to share this, I had to be real about it. A few years ago, I found myself in a dark place, but I'm still here, and I'm so lucky I am. And if my story can help even one person, then it was worth telling."

Duran has received widespread support after his revelation. Red Sox manager Alex Cora and team president Sam Kennedy also praised the star outfielder, with the latter highlighting his"courage" for being open about his situation.

"By opening up, he's showing others who may be struggling that they're not alone and that asking for help isn't just OK, it's essential," Kennedy said. "Every member of this organization continues to stand with him. He has our deepest admiration, he's always had our full support, and we're incredibly fortunate to have him as part of our team."

Following his breakout season in 2024, Jarren Duran has made another solid start this year. Although he went 0-3 in his team's 6-1 loss on Tuesday, Duran has 12 hits and seven RBIs this season.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash