Just over a year ago, Payton Tolle toured Fenway Park as one of the Red Sox’ newest draftees. Now, he’s a step away from the majors.
The Red Sox will promote Tolle to Triple-A Worcester for this week’s series against Buffalo, a source confirmed Monday. The plan is for Tolle to continue to start games there, but there’s a chance he could emerge as a bullpen option for the big league club down the stretch.
Tolle, 22, was the 50th overall pick out of TCU last summer and signed with the Red Sox for a $2 million bonus. Like nearly all of Boston’s top pitching draft picks, he didn’t debut professionally last year, instead working out at the team’s Fenway South complex in Fort Myers. Tolle began this year at High-A Greenville, posting a 3.62 ERA in 11 starts before being promoted to Double-A Portland in late June. With the Sea Dogs, he dominated, logging a 1.67 ERA and striking out 37 batters in 27 innings.
In total, Tolle has a 2.93 ERA while striking out 116 batters in 76 ⅔ innings across two levels this year. That performance has vaulted him into the national conversation as one of the best pitching prospects in baseball. Baseball America ranks Tolle as the No. 49 prospect in the game and the second-best Red Sox prospect (behind Marcelo Mayer with Roman Anthony having graduated).
The Red Sox, who are now in sole possession of the top American League wild card spot and enter Monday at 62-51, are open to having some of their top pitching prospects debut in relief roles down the stretch, according to chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. David Sandlin and Connelly Early were both promoted to Triple-A last week and could factor into the relief mix as well.
“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,” Breslow said Sunday. “Whether that’s Sandlin, Early, both, neither, I think those are options. We’ll take a look at the way that tweaking their repertoires could potentially play out of the ‘pen.”
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