Franklin Arias, SS, Red Sox: No baseball player on the planet is hotter than Arias. The 20-year-old homered again Thursday, giving him six in his past seven games at Double-A Portland. In just nine days, he’s nearly eclipsed his 2025 total of eight. Arias is showing improved exit velocities and launch angles, leading to a clear jump in contact quality. He’s an ascending prospect who should continue to rise up the Top 100.

Caden Bodine, C, Rays: Bodine has quietly been one of the best 2025 draftees through the first month of 2026. Acquired by the Rays from the Orioles in the Shane Baz deal this offseason, the former Coastal Carolina catcher has impressed on both sides of the ball at Low-A Charleston. On Thursday, he went 4-for-4 with his third home run, pushing his average north of .400. Known for his excellent defensive ability and bat-to-ball skills, Bodine is showing more impact as a professional.

Eric Hartman, OF, Braves: It’s been a banner week for Hartman. He homered three times on Tuesday, announcing his breakout season with authority, and his power surge continued on Thursday when he hit his seventh homer of the season and fourth in three games. A 2024 Canadian high school draftee, Hartman appears to have found his footing early in 2026.

Ronny Cruz, SS, Nationals: There's arguably no prospect with more helium right now than Cruz. After impressing at Low-A Fredericksburg to open the season, he earned a promotion to High-A Wilmington this week and looks right at home. He homered in his debut and followed with his first three-hit game Thursday, going 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs. With an impressive blend of power and twitch, Cruz offers clear star upside.

A.J. Ewing, OF, Mets: Entering 2026, Ewing was a buzzy name among scouts and front office personnel. He’s proving that praise wise, hitting .327/.453/.442 through his first 14 games. On Thursday, Ewing went 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk and a stolen base for Double-A Binghamton. The line encapsulates his game: on-base ability, sneaky power and havoc on the basepaths.

Editor’s Picks

Baseball America Helium Pick Of The Day

Each day, we’ll pick a prospect that has our attention.

Sean Keys, 3B, Blue Jays: Keys was one of the unluckiest hitters in the minors in 2025, but so far he's enjoying the jump to Double-A. He entered Thursday hitting .340/.453/.736 through 14 games, then went 2-for-4 with two home runs and a walk. Keys is showing a balanced mix of contact, approach and power that fits a corner infield profile. A breakout could be underway in his second full season.

Quick Hits

Prospect news and notes from around baseball…

• Red Sox LHP Payton Tolle’s return to the majors couldn’t have gone much better. He struck out 11 Yankees batters over six innings and allowed just one run.

• Pirates catcher Axiel Plaz remains red hot with High-A Greensboro. He went 4-for-5 with two RBIs Thursday, his second consecutive four-hit game. He’s now hitting .387/.449/.565 through 15 games.

• Jesús Made went 3-for-4 with three steals Thursday for Double-A Biloxi. He has a 1.003 OPS with more walks (15) than strikeouts (12) to go along with 11 steals through 18 games.

• Pirates infielder Sammy Stafura and Brewers infielder Andrew Fischer each had two-homer games in High-A.

• Braves shortstop John Gil remains hot for High-A Rome, going 3-for-5 with two doubles and a steal.

• Dodgers righty Patrick Copen was excellent for Double-A Tulsa, striking out nine batters over 6.1 scoreless innings.

• Orioles righty Esteban Mejia had eight strikeouts over four scoreless innings for Low-A Delmarva.

• Braves righty JR Ritchie went seven innings and earned the win in his big league debut.

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