With Marcelo Mayer now gone and Trevor Story basically a non-factor, there is a lot of pressure on Franklin Arias to show he's the Boston Red Sox' shortstop of the future. Because if it's not going to be him, the Red Sox don't have a clear Plan B right now.
One of Boston's biggest weaknesses at the moment is its shortstop situation. Andruw Monasterio is fine (at least offensively), but he's not an everyday shortstop. And even when Story eventually returns from his injury, fans don't have many reasons to believe he will actually elevate the team (he's been a major disappointment for most of his time in Boston, and he was hitting just .206 through 41 games this season before his injury).
The Red Sox may be able to figure it out this year as they aim for a deep playoff run, but for the long haul, they'd better hope that Arias turns into the player they think he can.
Franklin Arias has a ton of potential with the Red Sox
The 20-year-old is currently the Red Sox' top prospect, and on MLB.com, he's ranked as the No. 7 prospect in the minors. He just recently got the call to Triple-A, and at the rate he's going (through 10 games, he's hitting .326 with a .981 OPS and has recorded three home runs and 12 RBIs), he should make his way to the majors sooner rather than later.
It feels like not too long ago that Boston was banking on the potential of one top shortstop prospect to help usher in a new era of baseball (Xander Bogaerts, who got the call in 2013 and provided a huge spark on the World Series team that year... and then developed into one of their best players throughout the rest of the decade). And to a certain extent, the same thing is happening once again.
Hopefully for the Red Sox, Arias turns into at least a good portion of what everybody knows he can become. He's incredibly skilled at just about every aspect of the game, and at his age, he's not even close to reaching his peak form.
Mayer didn't end up working out for Boston (maybe a change of scenery will help him blossom with the San Francisco Giants), but that might end up working out for everybody involved down the line. Moving on from him has opened the door for Arias, who could help the Red Sox be title contenders for years to come.
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