Franklin Arias has been little short of dazzling in Double-A Portland this year.
The shortstop has asserted himself as the unquestioned top prospect in the Red Sox system and one of the best in the minors, looking like a defensively gifted shortstop while adding an unexpected degree of power to his excellent bat-to-ball skills.
In 36 games this year, Arias is hitting .346/.422/.662 with 11 homers and 19 extra-base hits. There have been only two questions surrounding him from evaluators: When will he move up to Triple-A, and why isn’t he playing more?
The first question: Not this week, but Arias is forcing the Sox to have internal conversations about when he’ll move up. As for the second question about the extent to which Arias is playing, there are some fascinating layers that play into another, broader curiosity: How do teams develop players who can stay on the field?
Read more from Alex Speier at BostonGlobe.com/Sports. | 
