Trevor Story’s struggles are making Franklin Arias impossible for Red Sox to ignore
Trevor Story’s struggles are making Franklin Arias impossible for Red Sox to ignore originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Boston Red Sox have been seeing underperformance from almost their entire roster this season, and their record reflects that. Of their underperformers, Trevor Story is one of the top names that stands out from the rest .
Story’s been freezing cold this season, both in the field and at the plate. Luckily, the Sox do have his replacement barreling his way up the pipeline , in their No. 2 prospect and the MLB’s No. 26 overall , Franklin Arias.
Arias is on a heater in AA
Last season, Arias finished in AA Portland after starting the year in low A. Now, he’s dominating for the Sea Dogs, as he’s slashing .375/.432/.764/1.196 with four doubles, eight home runs, and 20 RBI in 20 games.
Considering he jumped two leagues in one season last year, there’s no reason to doubt he could make AAA this season. That would make a him a prime candidate to be an emergency back up shortstop if something goes really wrong this season.
Arias is definitely Story’s successor
Currently, Story has two years left on his six-year, $140 million contract . For a 20-year-old Arias, that means at the latest, he would make his MLB debut at age-22 if he were to replace Story.
Though, he might not be at short, as current second baseman Marcelo Mayer came up as a shortstop as well, and might be given the position due to “paying his dues”. That would make Arias play at second, where he has experience as well.
Either way though, Arias would be taking Story’s spot on the roster, it’s just a question where he would play.
What Arias’ timeline could look like
It’s already known that two years from now is probably the latest Arias will be in the MLB. However, with the history of fragility that Mayer and Story have, multiple injuries could occur at once. The Sox have two backup utility men, but they still need someone to fill their roles.
That’s where Arias could come in. We have seen the Sox fast-track players from AA as recently as this season, with their No. 26 prospect Eduardo Rivera . Don’t be surprised if the stars align, and Arias gets the call this season.
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