Red Sox's Franklin Arias Decision Impacts Much More Than Just Him originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
As the Boston Red Sox face tough decisions over the next couple of months, especially as they head into spring training, youngster Franklin Arias will be one of the bigger priorities.
Arias, still 20, will turn 21 at the start of next season and has a real chance to make his Major League Baseball debut.
He could’ve come up at the end of this season, but the Red Sox didn't decide to.
It may be because of the potential lockout, as putting him on the 40-man roster would have kept the Red Sox from talking to the youngster for however long the lockout lasts. As for Arias, there really wasn't much to worry about, as he lit it up in Triple-A.
He hit .331 with six home runs, 39 RBIs, 16 walks, and an .894 OPS. For a 20-year-old to do that at the second-highest level in baseball was impressive and definitely caught the eye of some decision-makers in Boston.
As for what the immediate future might look like in Boston, the organization still has to figure that out, and a lot of it depends on other players who could affect it.
“Boston’s No. 1 prospect Arias could be the story for the Red Sox entering ’27. But as we’ve learned all too well in recent years, every top prospect has his own path. Boston’s front office is certainly bold enough that if there’s a consensus that Arias gives the best chance to win, he will be the choice on Opening Day, or whenever they feel the time is right after that.
“If Story were to move positions, it would be to second, where he has experience. But where would that leave Curtis Mead? I suppose he could DH and rotate between second and third. Stay tuned. There is much to unfold here,” Ian Browne wrote.
Ultimately, the Red Sox have to play their best nine players every single day.
Whether that's veterans, Arias, in-between guys like Curtis Mead, or a former All-Star like Trevor Story, the coaching staff and decision-makers in the organization will eventually figure it out. Arias definitely deserves a chance, so it's fair to say he should be on the big-league roster next season.