Red Sox
Tolle has struck out 79 batters in 49.2 innings of work this season in High-A ball.
The Red Sox have seen some of their top prospects like Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer make their big-league debuts this season.
But the next wave of Boston’s prospect pool is also starting to make strides further down on the farm.
According to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo, the Red Sox are promoting one of the top pitching prospects, Payton Tolle, to Double-A Portland.
Tolle had spent the 2025 season with the High-A Greenville Drive, posting a 3.62 ERA and striking out 79 batters in 49.2 innings in his first pro season.
In a Red Sox farm system has has historically struggled to develop impact arms, Tolle offers upside thanks to his pro-ready frame and swing-and-miss stuff.
Drafted in the second round (50th overall) of the 2024 MLB Draft out of TCU, Tolle was the earliest the Red Sox had selected a pitcher in the draft since Tanner Houck (24th overall) in 2017.
The 22-year-old southpaw is already an imposing figure at 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds. But the lefty has impressed Boston’s development staff with both a lively fastball and a slider with plenty of movement.
“The fact that he’s sitting 95 up to 98 [miles per hour], did not expect that Year 1. We expected that maybe Year 2 or Year 3, but the trajectory he’s taken is pretty special, Red Sox director of pitching Justin Willard told The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier of Tolle’s velocity earlier this month”. Now it’s just continue to refine the other things around what he’s doing.”
Even with his limited reps since turning pro, Tolle was tabbed as the No. 84 prospect in baseball during Baseball America’s latest ranking.
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