The Red Sox dealt a lot of minor league talent at the trade deadline, particularly from its pool of infield prospects.

The club moved former first-round pick Nick Yorke, ex-second-rounders Cutter Coffey and Matthew Lugo, a rising international standout in Eddinson Paulino, and Moises Bolivar, a 17-year-old shortstop who signed for $25,000 out of Venezuela earlier this year.

Some of them could go on to become productive major leaguers, but parting ways became much easier for Boston knowing it has so many others coming up through the ranks who could also make an impact.

By now most Red Sox fans are familiar with top prospect Marcelo Mayer, and many also know fellow first-round pick Mikey Romero, recent top international signing Yoeilin Cespedes, and guys like Kristian Campbell and Nazzan Zanetello, two of last summer’s top draft picks. But one other name who has flown under the radar by comparison might be among the most intriguing of all — Franklin Arias.

An 18-year-old shortstop from Venezuela, Arias signed for $525,000 in early 2023 as part of the same international class as Cespedes. Though originally viewed as more of a glove-first prospect, Arias has quickly established himself as one of the top all-around talents in the system, one who has impressed the organization with his mature offensive approach and overall professionalism.

“He’s done a lot of things really really well,” said Brian Abraham, Red Sox director of player development. “Obviously there’s going to be some adjustments and changes that will happen as he continues to progress but he’s had a really strong season so far and his skillset is pretty consistent and far reaching.”

Last year Arias dominated the Dominican Summer League in his first season as a professional, batting .350 with an .893 OPS in 37 games. This season he arrived stateside and posted similar numbers in the Florida Complex League, batting .355 with six home runs, 28 RBI, 30 stolen bases, a 1.055 OPS and nearly as many walks (34) as strikeouts (36) in 51 games.

That performance earned him a promotion to Low-A Salem in late July, and while he’s experienced a learning curve as he adjusts to the higher level of competition, he still popped off for two home runs in his first three games.

Abraham said Arias rarely chases pitches and does a good job barreling pitches in the strike zone, and that defensively he is consistently able to make both routine and difficult plays. He said Arias has also benefitted from putting on weight and building strength, and that his bat speed in particular has improved as a result.

Though Arias is only batting .186 through his first 12 games at Low-A, Abraham said they’ve been pleased with his performance in the Carolina League, where he’s among the league’s youngest players and is acclimating to a completely new environment.

“It’s always a jump, there’s a big on-field jump with the competition and night games, but there’s also a cultural jump,” Abraham said. “A guy who’s probably not been to too many places in the United States other than Florida, you play during the day, you play three to four times a week, have a couple off days a week and going to a place where you’re playing six games a week, all at night.

“It’s more of a normal professional routine,” he continued. “You have to live by yourself, you’re not going to be living in the team hotel, you have to take care of all of your meals in the morning, all those types of things. All around it’s been very impressive seeing him handle those obstacles as well as also performing in the way he has.”

People around the game are beginning to take notice. Arias enjoyed big jumps in several outlets’ midseason Top 30 Red Sox Prospects rankings, with Baseball America now having him pegged as the No. 6 prospect in the system and SoxProspects.com ranked him No. 8.

The teenage standout still has a long way to go before he’s anywhere near ready for the big leagues, but he’s exceeded all expectations to this point and the club is confident his best days are still ahead of him.

“I don’t think any situation is too big for him,” Abraham said. “He’s very comfortable with who he is, he trusts in the training he’s done pregame and when it comes to the game situations he’s performed.”

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer is expected to return from the injured list within the next few days. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

‘Big 3’ not package deal

At this point it’s only a matter of time before Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel — Boston’s top three prospects — are called up to Triple-A. All three have enjoyed terrific seasons at Double-A Portland, but while no decision has been made on when exactly they could move up, Abraham indicated they won’t necessarily be promoted together.

“At the end of the day my job and our job within (player development) is to put our players in the best position for them to develop on their own,” Abraham said. “So we’re going to do what’s best for Marcelo, we’re going to do what’s best for Roman, we’re going to do what’s best for Kyle in their individual development paths.”

One factor the Red Sox have to balance is where each player can get the appropriate level of playing time, and after a significant shakeup following the trade deadline the landscape at Triple-A has changed.

On one hand, the logjam of infielders has largely been cleared now that Yorke, Lugo and Niko Kavadas are out of the picture, theoretically making it easier to accommodate Mayer. On the other hand, Reese McGuire cleared waivers and remained with the organization after being designated for assignment, meaning Worcester now has a glut of catchers on its roster who could block Teel.

Abraham acknowledged that roster considerations always play a role in promotion decisions, but also that they won’t shy away from shaking things up to accommodate a player they feel is ready.

“So whether the timing is now, whether the timing is in a couple of weeks, whether the timing is in a week, whenever the time is right for those players for them to develop optimally, to continue to progress in their careers the best they can, that’s what we’ll do,” he continued. “Whether it’s moving together, whether that’s moving separately, we’re going to do what’s best for those players and we’ll have to adjust others’ playing time and others within the roster as needed.”

It’s conceivable Mayer could have already been promoted if he hadn’t been placed on the seven-day injured list last Thursday with hip irritation. The good news is that injury isn’t serious and Abraham said he could be activated by this weekend.

Once that happens, the Mayer Watch in Worcester will officially be back on.

Romero to IL

Mikey Romero, Boston’s first-round pick from 2022 and the organization’s No. 14 prospect according to Baseball America, had been on an absolute heater at High-A Greenville since the second half began. The 20-year-old shortstop had hit .446 with eight home runs, 21 RBI, six doubles, 14 runs and a 1.474 OPS in 13 games dating back to July 20.

Mikey Romero was selected by the Boston Red Sox with the 24th pick of the 2022 MLB draft on July 17, 2022 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

It was by far the best stretch of Romero’s professional career, which has been heavily disrupted by injuries since he was taken No. 24 overall in the 2022 MLB Draft, but this week Romero slammed into another setback when he was placed on the IL after suffering a concussion.

Abraham said Romero took a ground ball to the head on a bad hop, but they hope he won’t be sidelined for long.

Prior to the injury, Abraham spoke about how much Romero has benefitted from finally getting into a consistent routine where he could focus on baseball without constantly worrying about how he felt physically. That helped lead to his recent breakthrough, where he started crushing the ball all over the field.

“He’s not only pulling the ball but he’s driving the ball the other way as well,” Abraham said. “His ability to manipulate the barrel, his ability to have barrel awareness and drive the ball to all fields has been fun to see and it’s awesome to see Mikey having the success he’s had so far.”

Romero was recently named South Atlantic League Player of the Month and Player of the Week. Greenville right-hander Yordanny Monegro (Red Sox No. 27 prospect per Baseball America) also earned SAL Pitcher of the Week honors after throwing five hitless innings in a combined no-hitter on Aug. 1.

Valera thriving

Arias isn’t the only emergent 18-year-old standout in the Red Sox system. Right-hander Juan Valera has also established himself as one of the organization’s breakout performers.

Signed for $45,000 out of the Dominican Republic last April, Valera endured a rocky first season as a professional last year in the Dominican Summer League but has taken huge strides this season. The 6-foot-3 righty posted a 1.79 ERA in 40.1 innings in the Florida Complex League this summer, and since being promoted to Low-A Salem on July 25 he’s allowed no runs and only one hit through his first 12 innings.

He threw four more hitless innings in his latest start on Tuesday, and Abraham said the organization is really excited about what he’s shown so far.

“A strong bodied guy with a four-pitch mix, the fastball gets up to the upper 90s, I think he’s touched 99 this year,” Abraham said, adding that he also throws a slider, sweeper and changeup. “Throws strikes, challenges hitters with power stuff and he has the ability to miss barrels, the ability to throw strikes and challenge, and is confident in his stuff and has confidence in his ability to get outs in the strike zone.”

Though his command is still a work in progress and he’s years away from the majors even in a best case scenario, Valera’s emergence is an encouraging development for a club determined to improve its pitching depth at all levels of the organization. He’ll be a name to watch in the months and years to come.

Extra innings

Cespedes (No. 9), Boston’s top international signing from the 2023 class, will miss the rest of the season with a broken hamate. The club expects he’ll be fully healthy by the fall and should enjoy a normal offseason. … Left-hander Jojo Ingrassia, who has 86 strikeouts in 53.1 innings with Low-A Salem, is out with left elbow inflammation but could return before the end of the season. … Boston’s top three draft picks by signing bonus — Braden Montgomery (No. 4), Payton Tolle (No. 10) and Conrad Cason (No. 19) — all reported to Fort Myers earlier this week. None are expected to see formal game action this season, particularly not Montgomery, who is still rehabbing a broken ankle suffered in the NCAA Tournament.