When Boston Red Sox 2024 second-round MLB Draft pick Payton Tolle started the season in High-A, few considered him a 2025 major league roster option. When Tolle got rocked to the tune of six runs on five hits in 1 2/3 innings in his professional debut, somehow less than no one was considering him as an option for the 2025 Red Sox roster.
The odds have drastically improved with basically every pitch he’s thrown since that April 8 start (which it should be noted was played in a legendarily hitter-friendly ballpark).
Tolle quickly turned into a dominant pitcher in High-A. On June 28, he made his Double-A debut. Barely one month later, on August 10, he made his Triple-A debut. The left-handed pitcher flew through Portland and landed in Worcester with two months left in the season.
Suddenly, it felt like a very real possibility that Tolle could make his Major League debut in 2025. Alex Speier of The Boston Globe is adding fuel to that fire with a quote from chief baseball officer Craig Breslow himself (subscription required).
Red Sox confirm top pitching prospect Payton Tolle could be called up to the big leagues by the end of the season
5 scoreless frames for Payton Tolle in his 2nd Triple-A start! pic.twitter.com/1rIPUpxY6K
— Red Sox Player Development (@RedSoxPlayerDev) August 20, 2025
“By all accounts, he is a kid that kind of elevates his game. We don’t anticipate that the stage is too big for him. So, if we think he’s ready, we wouldn’t hesitate to give it a shot,” Breslow said of Tolle.
The Red Sox have had an up-and-down pitching staff lately. They’ve had a few issues in the rotation and even more in the bullpen. Tolle is a massive left-handed pitcher who can hit 99 MPH on his fastball (with ridiculous extension) and has rapidly improving breaking balls.
Tolle’s humiliated minor league hitters to the tune of a 3.12 ERA, .210 BAA, and 1.04 WHIP in 19 appearances (17 starts) between High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A. He has an absurd 124 strikeouts compared to just 23 walks in 86 2/3 innings. It’s not out of the question to believe he’s ready to help in Boston.
Tolle making his major league debut in 2025 is not something many people envisioned at the start of the season. That narrative has flipped, though, and Breslow is fanning the flames.