Red Sox

Duran donned a shirt that said “F— ‘Em” during a postgame interview on NESN last week.

Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran isn’t letting a warning from MLB get in the way of his breakout season.

Less than two weeks after wearing a shirt that said “F— ‘Em” during a postgame interview on NESN last week, Duran received a letter from the league’s on-field operations department, according to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. The letter contained a warning about wearing clothing with expletives, which violates MLB’s policies.

Duran told Cotillo that the league didn’t fine him and only issued the warning. However, the 27-year-old said he wouldn’t have minded paying up because of what the vulgar phrase means to him.

“But that would be a fine I’d be happy to pay,” Duran said. “I wouldn’t have a problem paying that fine because it’s just me wearing something that means a lot to me.”

He added, though, that he’ll try to ensure that the shirt doesn’t see the light of television again.

“I’m not surprised because obviously, it’s bad words and bad language. It’s understandable. I’m glad they didn’t fine me. They just gave me a warning. If I ever hit a walk-off again, I’ll just take everything off so I don’t get in trouble,” Duran said.

The slogan stems from Duran’s past issues with mental health, something he’s been open about. The star player struggled with the Red Sox in 2022 and spoke publicly about what he was going through that season in an interview with Cotillo.

Then, in 2023, Duran shared posts on Instagram regarding his mental health during the season. Fans expressed concern and manager Alex Cora told reporters that the team was handling the issue to ensure the player was okay.

Amid the present season, Duran has continued to discuss his battles with mental health publicly, notably through wearing the shirt that quickly caught MLB’s attention. Throughout 2024, the outfielder has worn wrist tape with the same two words written on it in pen during games.

Ahead of Opening Day this year, Duran talked more about his mental health struggles and explained his now-famous slogan with WEEI’s Rob Bradford.

“It’s just a personal thing to remind me of the stuff I have gone through mentally. Just saying ‘F— ‘em’ they can’t win, I’m still here,” he said in March. “So I write that on my right wrist. And then I write ‘I’m still alive,’ because I went through some tough times when I didn’t think I would be here. But I’m still here, still fighting. That’s kind of a daily reminder to myself that if all things are going bad and I’m having a bad game, it will never be as bad as when I was going through that stuff.”