The first half of the 2026 Red Sox season is winding down, and while the results may not be what everyone hoped, there’s plenty to look forward to in the future. And that’s what the Futures Game is about on All Star Weekend. Looking at the top prospects that a team had in the system. And the Red Sox have two (hopefully) bright stars coming up soon in Franklin Arias and Anthony Eyanson.
Red Sox at the Futures Game
Franklin Arias
Arias got signed as an international free agent in 2023 at the age of 17, so there was no college play to go off of. But the young infielder has flourished throughout his time in the system, especially this season. He’s batting .333 in Portland, with almost as many doubles (15) as home runs (17). The number one prospect in the system (and seven in all of baseball) should be moving up to Triple-A Worcester any day now, and could easily slide into a September call-up role for Boston if he succeeds at that level as well.
Franklin Arias can’t be stopped!
The @RedSox‘s top prospect (MLB No. 7) belts his 17th homer of the season and second in as many games for the @PortlandSeaDogs 🤯
The 20-year-old shortstop now has a 1.021 OPS this season. pic.twitter.com/ULhe5d8nXp
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 1, 2026
As mentioned, his bat’s been tremendous this season, but so has his eye. He’s got 33 walks compared to 36 strikeouts, making his full OBP at .421. The main question is his glove and his position. As far as his glove, his glove was what originally brought him into the spotlight. But it might be due to his position on why the 20 year old’s glove isn’t super well in the minors. His fielding percentage at second base (.981) is better than his fielding percentage at shortstop (.969).
With Trevor Story’s future up in the air, and Marcelo Mayer having his natural position as shortstop, it might be a good thing for the top prospect to slide over to second base, for the future. Especially if former second baseman Kristian Campbell is being rebranded as an outfielder this season.
Anthony Eyanson
Eyanson is a right handed pitcher currently in Portland. The Sox drafted him in the third round of the 2025 draft out of LSU, where he went 12-2 with 152 strikeouts in 108 innings. So far he’s had somewhat of a quick rise for a player in his first year. In Greenville, he struck out 34 compared to three walks and had an ERA of 0.44. The number 55 prospect in all of baseball rose to Portland after only five starts in High-A. Overall this season, he’s 2-0 with a 1.48 ERA and 63/19 K/BB across two levels.
Anthony Eyanson made his 7th start with Portland last night.
5.2 IP – 3 Hits – 1 ER/R – 2 K – 3 BB – 66 Pitches/39 Strikes.
Not much in terms of swing-and-miss, but it was his deepest outing of the year. 1.48 ERA so far in Double-A. 94th percentile wOBA. pic.twitter.com/QW3B62Bysc
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) June 28, 2026
From the Red Sox perspective, Eyanson probably would not be up until 2027. However, with a lefty dominant rotation, a young righty is a breath of fresh air for them, something they haven’t really had since Clay Buchholz. But if he continues on this trajectory, and continues to improve his other pitches (fastball hits 100 but his best is his mid 80’s slider), he could be a real threat in the rotation.
Red Sox History In The Futures Game
The Red Sox have had a lot of success with players at the Futures Game since its inauguration in 1999. This includes stars such as Andrew Benintendi, Mookie Betts, and Kevin Youkillis. Current players such as Jarren Duran, Brayan Bello, and Ceddanne Rafaela have also been invited to these games.
Even though this isn’t a telling sign that a player will be successful in the league (a bad example would be Anthony Ranaudo), it is good to gauge how prospects match up against other top prospects. Can Eyanson strike out Jesus Made? And could Arias hit a bomb off Kash Mayfield? It will be something to see. This year’s Futures Game is on Sunday, July 12th at 12 PM Eastern in Philadelphia.
Main Photo: Ashley Green/WooSox Photo / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
