Franklin Arias Not Slowing Down, Cracks MLB’s Top-3 Prospect Ranking originally appeared on NESN.
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Even casual Boston Red Sox fans are becoming familiar with minor league phenom Franklin Arias.
Arias made his Double-A debut in 2025, but spent the majority of the season playing High-A ball in Greenville. He did not stand out, but batted a respectable .265 and drove in 49 runs during his age-19 season.
However, there has been absolutely no stopping the now 20-year-old this season. He began the year with the Portland Sea Dogs, where he has played 42 games.
Arias is batting .327 and has an outrageous OPS of 1.027. He has slugged 13 home runs, including a 430-footer on Tuesday night. The shortstop has already driven in 33 runs and has racked up 102total bases on 53 hits.
Franklin Arias just hit his 13th homer of the year 430 feet to center. He’s got 5 bombs in his last 9 games.
His previous career high for an entire season was 9. pic.twitter.com/nMNSXFjQ6E
— Gordo (@BOSSportsGordo) June 2, 2026
His efforts with Portland have earned him the No. 3 overall spot in The Athletic’s Keith Law’s MLB top 50 prospects list.
Law has him higher than any other evaluator, but Arias has become a consensus top-10 prospect as he continues to scorch Double-A competition.
The Red Sox are being careful not to rush the development of the young shortstop. But he cannot possibly stay in Portland much longer with the pace he’s on.
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