With each passing week, Franklin Arias seems to find a way to one up himself.
After taking home Eastern League Player of the Month honors in April, the Red Sox No. 1 prospect has continued to mash in May. The 20-year-old tallied his first four-hit game of the season with three runs scored and two RBIs in Double-A Portland’s 11-4 win over New Hampshire on Sunday at Hadlock Field. It marked Arias’ 12th multihit game of the year.
MLB's No. 21 prospect kicked off his big afternoon with a single to center field in the first inning. After being lining out to center field in his second at-bat, Arias roped a double to right-center in the fourth, drove in a run with a soft-liner single in the sixth and cut loose on a 3-0 fastball for an RBI single to left in the seventh.
The performance backed the Double-A debut of Anthony Eyanson (MLB No. 97). Boston's No. 3 prospect allowed a run on three hits and one walk while striking out four over four innings.
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The Venezuela native has showcased his strong bat-to-ball skills all season. With a 60-grade hit tool, Arias has batted .366 to lead all the Red Sox system and sports a well-above-average 84.2% contact rate.
Arias continues to make strides in the power department and is on pace for notching some career highs. A season ago, the 20-year-old had just a .723 OPS in 116 games between High-A Greenville and Portland. With 15 extra-base hits, he has raised his slugging percentage to .699 and his OPS to 1.143. Both marks rank fourth and third respectively among all Double-A batters.
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Arias' batted-ball profile provides some insight into his notable power surge. He’s done a better job of putting the ball into the air. From 2024 to '25, the shortstop posted a 33.6 percent fly-ball rate. Through 26 games in 2026, that number has skyrocketed to 45.2 percent.
That 45.2 percent fly-ball rate would currently rank second among all MLB hitters, putting him just behind Cal Raleigh's 46.4 percent mark.
Known as one of the top defensive shortstops in the 2023 international class, his improvements at the dish could vault Arias into the conversation for becoming one of the top 10 prospects in the game.