The Red Sox may be slogging through a 2026 season fans would rather forget, but the organization will still have something worth watching when the All-Star break arrives: two of its brightest minor league talents are headed to the Futures Game.
The rosters were announced Wednesday, and Boston will be represented on the American League side by right-handed pitcher Anthony Eyanson and shortstop Franklin Arias. Neither name is exactly a shock. Both have spent the year looking like they belong on a much bigger stage.
Arias has been turning heads at Double-A Portland all season, even as plenty of people have wondered how much longer he could possibly stay there. The right-handed hitter was slashing .329/.414/.606 as of July 1, with 15 doubles, one triple and 17 home runs. He had also driven in 44 runs, scored 43 and stolen five bases, while drawing 31 walks against 36 strikeouts.
That kind of production leaves little doubt about where he stands. There’s really nothing in the numbers suggesting he isn’t ready for Triple-A, and his name has pushed into “best prospect in baseball” territory. The Futures Game invitation just fits the way his season has gone.
The biggest change for Arias has been the power. He entered the year with plenty of tools, but not much in the way of home run thump.
A season with around 15 homers would have felt like a ceiling, and his previous career high was nine. He’s already nearly doubled that total after adding weight and muscle this offseason and clearly putting in the work to give his bat more impact.
Eyanson’s rise has been just as fast, even if it has looked a little different. He began the year in High-A with Greenville, needed only five starts there, and quickly earned a promotion to Double-A.
Across the two levels, he has posted a 1.07 ERA, a .149 batting average against and a 0.87 WHIP in 12 starts. He’s struck out 64 and walked 19 over 50 2/3 innings.
A third-round pick in 2025, Eyanson has already made a strong case as one of baseball’s better pitching prospects. He first really flashed in spring training, especially in the Spring Breakout game, when his velocity spiked and he suddenly touched 100 MPH after usually sitting in the low 90s.
He’s back to working in the low 90s now, but that hasn’t taken away from what he’s been doing. With better control and high-end secondary pitches, there’s no reason for alarm that he isn’t regularly reaching triple digits.
That Spring Breakout outing came in relief for just one inning; now he’s starting and trying to work five-plus innings, so pacing matters. The velocity display showed what he can reach, but for now the pitch mix is doing the damage.
For a Red Sox season that hasn’t given fans much to enjoy, Arias and Eyanson are a welcome exception. And now both will get their turn in the All-Star spotlight.
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