After making good on his goal of reaching Double-A as a 19-year-old last season, top Red Sox prospect Franklin Arias is once again placing lofty expectations on himself heading into the 2026 campaign.
Speaking with reporters through an interpreter at the Red Sox’ rookie development program in Boston earlier this week, Arias made his goal for the upcoming season rather clear: “Make it to the big leagues.”
Arias, who turned 20 in November, is currently ranked by Baseball America as Boston’s No. 2 prospect (behind only left-hander Payton Tolle) and the No. 48 prospect in the sport. The native Venezuelan originally signed with the Red Sox for $525,000 as an international free agent in January 2023. He put himself on the map in his stateside debut the following year as he netted top prospect and MVP honors in the rookie-level Florida Complex League.
After ending the 2024 season at Low-A Salem, Arias broke camp with Boston’s Carolina League affiliate last spring. The right-handed hitter needed just 19 additional games, in which he batted .346/.407/.397, there before receiving a promotion to High-A Greenville in late April. He picked up where he left off by earning South Atlantic League Player of the Month honors for May, but began to cool off drastically heading into the summer.
Even after slashing just .265/.329/.380 in 87 games with Greenville, though, Arias earned another promotion to Double-A Portland in early September. In doing so, he joined Roman Anthony (2023) and Xander Bogaerts (2012) as the most recent Red Sox position players to reach the Double-A level as teenagers. He then closed out his season by going 12-for-46 (.261) with two doubles, two home runs, eight RBIs, four runs scored, one stolen base, no walks, and six strikeouts in a 10-game cameo with the Sea Dogs.
Overall, Arias slashed .278/.335/.388 with 27 doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 66 RBIs, 62 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, 38 walks, and 53 strikeouts in 116 total games (526 plate appearances) between Salem, Greenville, and Portland last year. That includes a .235/.307/.313 line against lefties and a .291/.343/.412 line against righties.
Among 36 Red Sox minor leaguers who made at least 300 trips to the plate in 2025, Arias ranked first in strikeout rate (10.1 percent), second in swinging-strike rate (5.3 percent), fourth in batting average, 12th in wRC+ (109), 13th in on-base percentage, 15th in OPS (.723) and wOBA (.342), and 16th in slugging percentage, per FanGraphs.
On the defensive side of things, which is where he stood out as an amateur, Arias saw the vast majority of his playing time last year come at shortstop. Listed at 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds throughout the season, the sure-handed infielder made 101 of his 116 starts between Salem, Greenville, and Portland at short, committing seven errors in 386 chances. He also started five games at second base and 10 games at DH.
“One of the things we’ve talked to him a lot about is his physicality,” Red Sox senior director of player development Brian Abraham said of Arias when speaking with The Boston Globe’s Tim Healey. “Continue to add strength, add size, and impact the baseball. Obviously, a really good defender, really good range, consistency in the field. Swing decisions have been phenomenal. Bat-to-ball skills have been really strong. But at the end of the day, him impacting the baseball consistently as he gets to the upper levels is really important.”
Arias, who was able to leave his home country following the United States ‘ capture and arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in time to attend the Red Sox’ rookie development program, told Healey that his focus over the course of the offseason has been working on his body.
“You can’t take anything for granted or settle with how you are right now,” said Arias. “I need to improve my other qualities [to] the same level as my defense.”
Barring a blockbuster trade or other surprise move, Arias is projected to return to Portland for the start of the upcoming season, so he will once again need to move up multiple levels if he is indeed intent on making his big league debut at some point this year.
In the more immediate future, it has yet to be determined if Arias and other prominent Red Sox prospects not on the 40-man roster (such as fellow infielder and rookie development program attendee Mikey Romero) will be receiving non-roster invites to major league spring training in Fort Myers next month. That decision is likely to come sooner rather than later.
(Picture of Franklin Arias: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)
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