Chris Sale calls former Sox teammate his ‘favorite All-Star’ in 2024

Chris Sale may no longer pitch for the Red Sox.

But the Atlanta Braves southpaw is still a big fan of several former teammates in Boston — headlined by first-time All-Star Jarren Duran.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the 2024 MLB All-Star Game on Monday, Sale acknowledged that he holds Duran in high regard — even when weighed against the rest of the stacked pool of talent set to play at Globe Life Field.

“Duran, he might be my favorite All-Star here,” Sale said, per Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe. “What that guy can do on a baseball field is incredible. He’s in scoring position on first base.

“The way he runs the bases, his mentality, he literally attacks baseball. There’s not one ounce of effort he leaves anywhere. I know how hard he had to work to get here and I know what he went through to get to this place. I can’t stop smiling when I think about that.”

Sale sang Duran’s praises on multiple occasions Monday, crashing the dynamic Boston outfielder’s interview on MLB Network.

During his impromptu interview alongside Duran, Sale admitted that he texted his former manager Alex Cora last week to see if Duran was going to make the cut as an All-Star this season.

“When we were finding out, I texted (Alex Cora) and was like ‘Please tell me Duran made it,’” Sale told MLB Network. “And he did. I was like, dude, this guy is an absolute spark plug for a team.”

Duran returned the favor by giving plenty of credit to Sale for his role as a veteran leader in Boston — with the former Red Sox ace serving as a valuable resource during Duran’s initial growing pains in MLB’s ranks.

“I miss this guy as a teammate, that’s for sure,” Duran said of Sale. “He was one of the guys I looked up to. We talked every single day. There was a lot of moment where I went up to him and asked him for advice, just because I knew I was struggling with some stuff and he really put me under his wing and helped me out a lot.”

Both Sale and Duran are expected to take to the field for the AL and NL., respectively, in the 2024 MLB All-Star Game — with first pitch set for 8 p.m. on Tuesday from Texas.