Red Sox could upgrade infield with .957 OPS top prospect instead of Trevor Story

Red Sox could upgrade infield with .957 OPS top prospect instead of Trevor Story originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Boston Red Sox are looking to make some upgrades to their roster in September for a chance at a deep postseason run in a wide-open American League.

With a strong pitching staff in both the rotation and bullpen, and Roman Anthony set to bolster the outfield, the only area worth looking to upgrade would be their infield. Trevor Story is coming back from injury and could be an option.

But Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report called out .957 OPS prospect Franklin Arias as a possible September call-up option for Boston, who could be a bigger upgrade than Story for a postseason-bound Red Sox team.

"Already widely regarded as the best defensive infielder in the Red Sox system, Franklin Arias has taken his offensive game to new heights this season," Reuter writes.

With a .957 OPS and elite defense, there's a lot to like about Arias. As a shortstop, he could get called up and take the spot of Anduw Monasterio, who's filled in while Story has been out.

However, the Red Sox could still promote Story back to the Major Leagues once he's healthy enough and proves it during his rehab assignment.

That could leave Arias without a clean fit on the roster. That is, if he wasn't getting work at second base. Reuter called second a "secondary path" for Arias to make the big-league roster to close the 2026 season.

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Arias is the top prospect in the Red Sox's farm system, and one of the best prospects in Major League Baseball overall. He has an .849 OPS in 25 games at Triple-A this season and a .957 OPS in 100 games overall.

He has 23 home runs, 23 doubles, a .313 batting average, and 47 walks to 66 strikeouts. Arias has been incredible this season and would be an obvious upgrade at either shortstop or second base.

With Curtis Mead out due to injury, the Red Sox could use a bit more offensive firepower, and Arias would make perfect sense as a September call-up once rosters expand to 28 players.

There is obviously some risk with calling up the 20-year-old infielder, but it's clear this Red Sox team has some magic about them, and giving Arias a chance without putting a year of control at risk would make sense for the Red Sox.

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