Jarren Duran suspended by MLB as Red Sox star apologizes for homophobic slur

The Boston Red Sox have announced that All-Star outfielder Jarren Duran will serve a two-game unpaid suspension after directing a homophobic slur toward a fan in Sunday's MLB game against Houston .

Duran's suspension will begin during Monday's game against Texas at Fenway Park, with his salary for the two-game ban being donated to PFLAG (Federation of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), America's largest support and advocacy group for the LGBTQ+ community.

"The Red Sox addressed this incident with Jarren immediately following today's game," the organization wrote in a statement after Sunday's game. "We echo Jarren's apology to our fans, especially to the LGBTQ community. We strive to be an organization that welcomes all fans to Fenway Park, and we will continue to educate our employees, players, coaches and staff on the importance of inclusivity."

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The incident occurred as Duran, who currently ranks fifth among all MLB players in wins above replacement, stepped to the plate for a sixth-inning at-bat against the Astros, trending uncharacteristically toward his second hitless outing in four games. With his Red Sox trailing 10-0 and set for an untimely series sweep, a fan mockingly advised Duran to hit with a tennis racket, to which the player replied "Shut up you ------- ------."

Duran would ultimately walk on the at-bat but quickly learned of the widely-circulated footage of his slur, issuing a stated apology after the game. "During tonight's game, I used a truly horrific word when responding to a fan," Duran said.

"I feel awful knowing how many people I offended and disappointed. I apologize to the entire Red Sox organization, but more importantly to the entire LGBTQ community. Our young fans are supposed to be able to look up to me as a role model, but tonight I fell far short of that responsibility. I will use this opportunity to educate myself and my teammates and to grow as a person."

Duran added that there was "no intent behind the word" he used. “It was just the heat of the moment and just happened to be said. It’s on me for that word coming out."

The punishment by the Red Sox is congruent with previous MLB sanctions for anti-gay language. Former Oakland Athletics outfielder Matt Joyce was suspended two games after using anti-gay slurs during an argument with a fan, while Toronto's Kevin Pillar was suspended for writing anti-gay sentiments in Spanish on his eyeblack that same year, which he insisted was a joke.

Boston Herald reporter Gabrielle Starr reported on Monday that Boston mayor Michelle Wu has requested a meeting with Duran about the incident with the All-Star now out of the lineup for the next two games.

The Red Sox will hope to pick up a pair of much-needed wins with the MLB's triples leader unavailable, falling to three games out of the final Wild Card spot after their weekend sweep.