BOSTON -- The wait is over for the best starting pitching prospect the Red Sox have had in years.
Payton Tolle, Boston’s No. 2 prospect as rated by MLB Pipeline, will get called up for his Major League debut on Friday night at Fenway Park, a source told MLB.com.
But the fact that the power lefty will face off against Pirates phenom and two-time All-Star Paul Skenes will create a nonstop buzz at Fenway as the Red Sox (75-60) return from a 7-1 road trip.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal was first to report the news of Tolle’s imminent call-up, which hasn’t been confirmed by the club.
Tolle’s rise since the Red Sox selected him with the 50th overall pick (second round) of the 2024 Draft out of Texas Christian University has certainly been meteoric.
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The 22-year-old opened this season at High-A Greenville, moved up to Double-A Portland on June 24 and punched his ticket to Triple-A Worcester on Aug. 6.
“He has a strong understanding of who he is and who he wants to become, along with a clear grasp of both his short and long-term goals,” Red Sox senior director of player development Brian Abraham said of Tolle in a recent interview with MLB.com. “He’s also shown the vulnerability to make mistakes and learn from them. While the significant jump in velocity and performance has certainly been a factor, he has quickly shown us that we can believe in him as a person, and that he will continue to push himself to improve no matter the level.”
In 20 appearances this season (18 starts), Tolle has 133 strikeouts over 91 2/3 innings while holding opponents to a .203 average.
There was particular buzz generated from Tolle’s most recent start at Polar Park in Worcester, Mass. He struck out nine and threw three pitches at 98 mph or higher, topping out at 98.6.
Tolle’s smooth transition to the highest level of the Majors coincided with the Red Sox having issues at the bottom of the rotation. Veteran Walker Buehler (7-7, 5.45 ERA) was taken out of the rotation last week.
Richard Fitts, a top candidate to fill in for Buehler at least temporarily, suffered an injury to his right biceps that forced his placement on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday.
It remains to be seen if Tolle’s promotion is temporary. The Red Sox have another strong option at Triple-A in lefty Kyle Harrison, who was the key return piece from the Giants in the trade for Rafael Devers on June 15.
Harrison had a three-inning, 38-pitch appearance for Worcester on Tuesday, making him a less than ideal candidate to pitch on Friday. In 39 career appearances (35 starts) for the Giants, Harrison was 9-9 with a 4.48 ERA. Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey was in that role for San Francisco in Harrison’s debut season of 2023.
“Obviously, he's got some elite stuff, and I know he's really moving the needle in Worcester right now,” Bailey said on Aug. 24. “So he's been throwing the ball well and obviously, we’ve got our eyes on him and we’re excited for the future for him with the Red Sox at some point in time.”
For now, all eyes will be on Tolle.
“We’ve been impressed with Payton since we drafted him last year. His work ethic, open-mindedness, desire to improve, and willingness to challenge himself have all stood out,” said Abraham. “It’s been fun to watch him compete on the mound from outing to outing, showing the ability to focus pitch to pitch and make adjustments not only within an inning, but from game to game as well.”
As for Skenes, this will be his first time pitching at one of MLB’s most storied venues.
“He's a great pitcher,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “He’s up there with the Zack Wheelers of the world and they're playing well, too.”
Who would Cora compare Skenes with?
“[Jacob] deGrom. He did that with the Mets. He was dominant [right away],” Cora said. “He’s still doing it.”
And on Friday, Tolle will start doing it, much to the delight of what figures to be a sold-out crowd at Fenway Park.