Red Sox promote top pitching prospect Payton Tolle to Triple-A Worcester
Tolle posted a 1.67 ERA and 0.741 WHIP over 27 innings of work with Double-A Portland before his promotion.
One of the Red Sox’s most promising prospects is on the cusp of the big leagues.
According to Tommy Cassell of the Telegram & Gazette, Boston’s top pitching prospect Payton Tolle is getting promoted to Triple-A Worcester after a dominant showing with Double-A Portland.
Tolle, 22, had a short stint with the Sea Dogs — logging just six games (five starts) with Portland. But the southpaw was lights out against elevated competition, posting a 1.67 ERA and 0.741 WHIP over 27 innings of work. During those 27 innings, Tolle struck out 37 batters and walked just seven.
Tolle — ranked as Boston’s top prospect by SoxProspects and MLB Pipeline’s No. 92 overall prospect — closed out his time with the Sea Dogs by striking out six batters and allowing just one hit over four innings of work against the Altoona Curve on Saturday.
Taken in the second round (No. 50 overall) of the 2024 MLB Draft out of TCU, Tolle has quickly risen through the ranks of Boston’s farm system in what stands as his first full pro campaign.
Ending the year in Triple-A stands as a positive development for Tolle, whose strong frame (6-foot-6, 250 pounds) and swing-and-miss stuff is a welcome addition to a prospect pipeline in desperate need of a power arm.
But there stands a chance that Tolle could log meaningful minutes for Boston down the stretch run, potentially out of the bullpen.
Even if Tolle might be projected to be an innings-eating starter if he pans out in the big league, his limited reps this season and dynamic pitch arsenal could be harnessed this fall as a bullpen weapon if the Red Sox are in need of additional reinforcements.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow noted that the Red Sox might utilize a pair of other prospects in Triple-A pitchers David Sandlin and Connelly Early as potential bullpen additions this year. Both Sandlin and Early were promoted to Worcester last week.
“A couple of guys, in Sandlin and Early,” Breslow said Sunday morning, per Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald. “I think the idea is to try and amass as much depth as we can, especially near-major league ready depth, because we know at this point it’s a lot harder to transact and act.”
Even though Sandlin and Early are currently serving as starters with Worcester, Breslow said that their pitching repertoire could make them appealing relief options in 2025 for the Red Sox — much like Tolle.
“I think we’re at the point where any opportunity we have to bolster the team and give us a better chance to win, we’ve got to be open to it, and whether that’s Sandlin, Early, both, neither, I think those are options,” Breslow said. “We’ll take a look at the way that we think their repertoires could potentially play out of the ‘pen.
“Sandlin is a guy that comes to mind in that it’s really power stuff, and with maybe a simplified approach we feel like he could come in and just kind of overwhelm hitters with the stuff. And those conversations are ongoing.”
“Payton Tolle’s pitching really well in Double-A,” Breslow added, hours before Tolle was called up to Triple-A. “We feel like we’ve got options.”
Sure enough, Alex Cora acknowledged on Monday that Tolle could be a player who could step into a big-league role with the club in September if the right situation arose.
“I don’t know if we need a boost,” Cora said of Boston’s bullpen. “You know, we’ve got the second best bullpen in the big leagues. The guys have done an amazing job. But you never know what can happen as far as, like, injuries, people struggling in the upcoming weeks. And they put themselves on the radar. … Honestly, I’m not watching too much.
“I’m just seeing the reports and seeing their stories, but they’re good. We believe that they can contribute. Then we’ll see what happens.”
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com