Top Red Sox Prospect Pitching Payton Tolle Auditioning For Call-Up?

Top Boston Red Sox pitching prospect Payton Tolle returns to the mound Friday for Triple-A Worcester. But will it be his last start with the WooSox?

Tolle’s success this season has Fenway Park buzzing about a potential late-season call-up. What Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier will only add fuel to the fire.

“When there is a guy with these unique traits and what we think should be weapons that will translate into the big leagues, then you start to look at the variables that are introduced by changing the environment, the crowd, the stadium,” Breslow said, per Speier.

“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 added.

The 22-year-old Tolle started this season with High-A Greenville, where he went 1-3 with a 3.62 ERA in 11 games (10 starts). He struck out 79 batters in 49 2/3 innings pitched.

The Red Sox promoted the 2024 second-round draft pick to Double-A Portland in June. He went 1-1 with a 1.67 ERA in six games (5 starts) and struck out 37 batters in 27 innings, earning a surprising bump to Triple-A Worcester earlier this month.

Friday is Tolle’s third start for the WooSox. He’s 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA in his first two appearances.

Last week, MLB Pipeline revealed its updated list of the top 100 prospects, as well as the top 30 prospects for each club. Tolle is No. 2 for the Red Sox, behind shortstop Franklin Arias, who ranks No. 24 overall. Tolle is No. 28 overall.

This week, ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel dropped his updated list of the top prospects and he concurred with MLB Pipeline, ranking Tolle second in the Boston organization behind Arias.

So all eyes will be on Tolle Friday at Polar Park when Triple-A Worcester hosts the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, the top minor-league affiliate of the Miami Marlins. First pitch is slated for 6:45 p.m. ET.