Alex Cora isn’t afraid to give his best players a day off if he thinks it will keep them fresh. He used to do it for Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts during their time with the Red Sox, and whenever he did he’d always say he was trying to take care of them.

But this season he’s taken a different approach with Jarren Duran, who has played in every one of Boston’s first 91 games this season. Asked what makes the dynamic leadoff hitter different, Cora playfully teased his former stars.

“Because he’s tougher than those guys,” Cora said with a laugh.

Alex Cora often used to give Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts days off, saying they wanted to take care of them.

What makes Jarren Duran, who has played every game this season, different?

“Because he’s tougher than those guys,” Cora said with a big laugh.

— Mac Cerullo (@MacCerullo) July 10, 2024

Cora went on to explain that Duran has proven he can maintain a heavy workload physically and that he’s become an indispensable fixture right up there in importance with Rafael Devers. Put simply, the Red Sox need him in the lineup and Cora is comfortable writing his name in every day.

“We just felt like he can handle it,” Cora said. “He’s accepted the challenge, we’re going to keep playing him. He’s one of our best players.”

Duran has lived up to his end of the bargain, earning his first career All-Star honor after ranking among the American League’s top all-around players through the first half. He currently ranks among the league’s leaders in hits (107), doubles (25), triples (10), extra-base hits (45), stolen bases (22) and runs scored (60), and he’s also regarded as one of the league’s best defensive outfielders and baserunners.

As for Betts and Bogaerts, Cora praised their toughness in a separate answer about Devers, who has also continued playing and producing despite battling through a shoulder injury that has lingered since the season started. Even though he’d occasionally give the two of them days off, both still posted every day they could, setting an example that Boston’s top players continue to emulate to this day.

“Obviously throughout the years he’s been taught the right way,” Cora said. “Xander playing through stuff, Mookie playing through stuff, J.T. playing through stuff last year.”