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The Red Sox are promoting top prospect Franklin Arias from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester, as was first reported by Tommy Cassell of The Worcester Telegram & Gazette.
Arias, in the midst of a breakout campaign, is reaching the minors highest level for the first time and is now just one call away from the big leagues.
The 20-year-old middle infielder is currently ranked by Baseball America as Bostons No.
1 prospect and the No.
3 prospect in baseball behind only the Brewers Jesus Made and the Athletics Leo De Vries.
In 75 games for Portland this season, Arias batted a stout .318/.407/.587 with 17 doubles, an organizational-leading 19 home runs, 52 RBIs, 50 runs scored, five stolen bases, 37 walks, and 46 strikeouts over 332 plate appearances.
The right-handed hitter slashed .309/.427/.574 against lefties and .321/.400/.591 against righties.
Among 73 qualified hitters in the Eastern League, Arias ranks first in OPS (.994), second in batting average, slugging percentage, and strikeout rate (13.9%), third in on-base percentage, fourth in isolated power (.269), and 34th in walk rate (11.1%), according to MiLB.coms leaderboards.
Defensively, Arias unsurprisingly saw most of his playing time with Portland this season come at shortstop.
In 54 starts there, the sure-handed 5-foot-11, 180-pounder committed just three errors in 210 chances over 474 2/3 innings.
He also made five starts at second base, where he did not commit an error in 14 chances over 41 innings, and 11 starts at DH.
A native of Venezuela, Arias originally signed with the Red Sox for $525,000 as an international free agent in January 2023.
At that time, he was viewed as more of a glove-first shortstop.
He changed that narrative quickly by putting together an impressive professional debut in the Dominican Summer League, then followed that up by earning 2024 Florida Complex League MVP, Top Prospect, and All-Star honors in his first season stateside.
As a 19-year-old last season, Arias worked his way from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville before arriving in Portland for a 10-game cameo in September.
Over the winter, he added muscle to his frame and refined his approach at the plate, helping fuel the power surge he has experienced in 2026.
He was recognized for his efforts earlier this month when he represented the Red Sox at the All-Star Futures Game in Philadelphia on July 12.
Though Arias returned to Portland immediately following the All-Star break, this promotion suggests that the organization believes he is ready for a new challenge with a little over two months remaining in the season.
As noted by The Boston Globes Alex Speier, Arias joins Roman Anthony, Xander Bogaerts, and Glenn Hoffman as the only Red Sox position players in the last 50 years to reach Triple-A by the age of 20.
Arias, who turns 21 in November, is unlikely to be rushed to the majors with the Red Sox in the thick of the American League Wild Card race following a historic 15-game winning streak that has turned around their season.
For now, he is set to make his Triple-A debut at some point during the latter half of Worcesters series against Jacksonville at Polar Park this weekend.
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