Red Sox Notes: Franklin Arias promoted to Triple-A; Zach Neto, Shea Langeliers headline trade rumors

The Red Sox are promoting their No. 1 prospect, Franklin Arias, to Triple-A Worcester, according to Worcester Telegram & Gazette’s Tommy Cassell.

The 20-year-old shortstop earns the promotion after slashing .318/.407/.587 with 19 home runs, 90 hits, 50 runs scored, 52 RBI, 37 walks and just 46 strikeouts in 75 games for Double-A Portland. He also represented the organization in last week’s MLB All-Star Futures Game.

With the move, Arias becomes just the fourth Red Sox position player in the last 50 years to reach Triple-A before turning 21, joining Roman Anthony, Xander Bogaerts and Glenn Hoffman.

Known more for his advanced hit tool than his power entering the season, Arias has taken a significant step forward offensively. After totaling 18 home runs over his first three professional seasons, he surpassed that mark with his 19th homer of the year in Portland’s 3-2 victory over Binghamton before his promotion.

At the time of his departure, Arias ranked among the Eastern League leaders in nearly every major offensive category. He led the league with a .994 OPS, ranked second in batting average (.318) and slugging percentage (.587), third in both home runs (19) and on-base percentage (.407), and fourth in hits (90).

His breakout campaign began early. Arias earned Eastern League Player of the Month honors in April after batting .375/.432/.764 with a 1.196 OPS and eight home runs. He later started at second base for the American League in the All-Star Futures Game and drove in the game’s first run in the AL’s victory.

Boston signed Arias out of Venezuela as an international free agent in 2023, and he has climbed the organizational ladder quickly ever since. He hit .350 in 37 games during his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League before posting an .896 OPS across the Florida Complex League and Single-A Salem in 2024. Last season, he collected 133 hits while batting .287 with 66 RBIs and 62 runs scored over 116 games across three levels.

Baseball America grades Arias’ hit and field tools at 60, with a 55-grade arm, 40-grade power and 40-grade speed. Scouts believe his advanced instincts, reliable hands and polished defensive actions give him the tools to develop into an everyday major league shortstop, while continued power development could elevate his overall ceiling.

Zach Neto be the Right Fit for the Red Sox?

The MLB trade deadline is quickly approaching, with clubs having until Monday, Aug. 3 at 6 p.m. ET to make deals.

Just a month ago, the Red Sox appeared destined to be sellers. Instead, Boston enters deadline week firmly in the postseason picture, sitting 6 1/2 games behind the Rays in the American League East and two games ahead of the Mariners for the final AL Wild Card spot.

With the club expected to buy, adding another right-handed bat to lengthen the lineup remains one of the organization’s top priorities.

One name that continues to surface is Angels shortstop Zach Neto.

According to The Athletic, Boston remains interested in Neto after expressing interest in the 25-year-old last offseason. Those discussions reportedly never advanced to the point of exchanging player names, but the Red Sox still view him as an attractive fit.

Whether the Angels are willing to move Neto remains uncertain.

Los Angeles has undergone a front-office change since last winter, with John Mozeliak replacing Perry Minasian as interim general manager. Owner Arte Moreno has historically been reluctant to trade players under long-term control, and Mozeliak recently told The Athletic he doesn’t believe the Angels need to rebuild.

The shortstop is earning $4.15 million this season and remains under club control through 2029, making him one of the more valuable middle infielders who could be available.

Boston’s need became even more apparent during its recent 15-game winning streak.

With Trevor Story sidelined following sports hernia surgery, the Red Sox pieced together the middle infield with Andruw Monasterio, Tsung-Che Cheng, Anthony Seigler and Romy González. While each has filled a valuable role, none projects as an everyday answer for a club with postseason aspirations.

Story, meanwhile, expects to begin a rehab assignment sometime in August. Before landing on the injured list, he batted just .206 with a .547 OPS while posting below-average defensive metrics.

Acquiring Neto would give Boston a long-term answer at shortstop while potentially allowing Story to shift to second base upon his return. He owns 19 home runs and a .771 OPS while ranking sixth among qualified shortstops in wRC+ and 11th in fWAR. Power has become one of the biggest developments in Neto’s game. He has already matched his career high with 19 home runs and appears on pace to surpass last season’s total of 26.

Over the past three seasons, Neto has hit 68 home runs, trailing only Willy Adames, Gunnar Henderson, Francisco Lindor, CJ Abrams, and Colson Montgomery among major league shortstops during that span.

His offensive profile also seems tailor-made for Fenway Park. While Neto doesn’t possess elite bat speed, he excels at lifting the ball to the pull side. More than 28 percent of his batted balls this season have been pulled in the air, a trait Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has publicly valued. Breslow cited a similar offensive profile as one reason Boston acquired Caleb Durbin over the offseason.

Because of Neto’s age, production and four years of remaining club control, the Angels would almost certainly seek multiple premium young players in return.

Marcelo Mayer and pitching prospects would be part of the conversation for Neto.  The 23-year-old is currently on the injured list with a bone stress reaction in his left forearm after batting .220 with a .594 OPS before the injury. Depending on how Boston views Mayer’s long-term future, he could be a logical centerpiece in any package for Neto.

The Angels are also expected to listen on controllable starters José Soriano and Reid Detmers, giving Boston additional avenues should it pursue pitching help. Whether Los Angeles ultimately decides to move Neto remains the biggest question. But if the Angels are willing to engage, few players available before the deadline would fit Boston’s roster as cleanly as the 25-year-old shortstop.

Shea Langeliers be Boston’s Impact Bat?

If the Red Sox aren’t able to land Neto or ultimately decide he’s not the impact bat they’re looking for another intriguing option could be Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers.

According to USA Today’s Bob Nightingale, the Red Sox are “salivating” over the idea of acquiring Langeliers, who has quietly developed into one of baseball’s best all-around catchers.

Whether he’s actually available is another story. ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel recently gave a Langeliers trade just a 10 percent chance of happening. Still, they noted that if the Athletics were to move the 27-year-old, the return would be “a whale of a package,” particularly the type of young pitching the Athletics would covet.

It’s easy to understand why Boston has interest in the slugger. 

Langeliers is enjoying the best season of his career, slashing .260/.329/.490 with 22 home runs and 50 RBIs through 90 games while earning his first All-Star selection. His 2.7 WAR ranks tied for second among major league catchers behind only Detroit’s Dillon Dingler after finishing third at the position with 4.0 WAR in 2025.

His power would immediately bolster Boston’s lineup. Langeliers has already hit 22 home runs this season—one more than Red Sox slugger Willson Contreras and has established himself as one of baseball’s premier power-hitting catchers after launching 29 homers in 2024 and 31 in 2025.

Defensively, Langeliers possesses one of the strongest throwing arms in the game and consistently neutralizes the running game with elite pop times. While his framing and blocking remain areas for improvement, his overall offensive production more than offsets those shortcomings.

Like Neto, Langeliers also comes with significant club control.

After avoiding arbitration with the Athletics on a $5.3 million salary for 2026, he’ll remain under team control through the 2028 season, making him far more valuable than a typical deadline rental.

Landing Langeliers wouldn’t come cheap.

If the Athletics decide to entertain offers, they’ll almost certainly seek multiple high-upside young pitchers in return, a strength of Boston’s farm system.

MLB-ready left-handers Connelly Early and Jake Bennett could draw the A's attention, while top prospects Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon would likely be among the first names requested in negotiations.

Boston could also include either Carlos Narváez or Connor Wong to help the Athletics fill the catching void created by Langeliers’ departure.

While a deal appears unlikely, Langeliers checks nearly every box the Red Sox could be looking for a right-handed power bat, multiple years of club control and a player capable of making an immediate impact both this season and well into the future.