Red Sox Reddit AMA: Will Tolle be called up before the end of the season?

BALTIMORE -- On Wednesday, Red Sox beat reporter Ian Browne held an Ask Me Anything on Reddit with fans at r/redsox. This mailbag features questions and answers from there. The full AMA can be read here. Questions and responses have been lightly edited for clarity.

Do you think we’ll see Payton Tolle come up before the season is over?

I have a sneaking suspicion Tolle will be up at some point. This weekend is in play as a long shot, but Kyle Harrison seems like the likelier option to fill the Walker Buehler/Richard Fitts slot given that he was limited to three innings and 38 pitches for Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday. Also, Harrison has experience starting games in the Major Leagues and Tolle does not. Harrison is also on the 40-man roster. Tolle is not. I’m wondering if Tolle gets called up in September and pitches in relief. This would give him a chance to really go max effort and also give the Red Sox a chance to keep his innings under control. One thing is for sure: He is creating the most buzz for a Red Sox pitching prospect than anyone we’ve seen in a while.

How likely is it that we see Kristian Campbell again this year?

I think only if a need arises. In hindsight, Campbell probably had too much thrown at him too fast given his relatively limited experience in the Minors heading into '25. The team would love for Campbell to keep building his confidence back and take that good feeling into the offseason.

How long do you think Richard Fitts will be out after being placed on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday?

Really hard to say until he gets back to Boston this weekend and gets a full work-up from the team’s medical staff. I will say that any time a pitcher gets hurt this late in the season, it presents a challenge of there being enough ramp-up time to return to action. The good news is that the training staff didn’t detect any ligament damage during initial testing.

Assuming Alex Bregman returns one way or another this offseason, do you think the Red Sox will remain aggressive for more offense in the winter?

Absolutely. I think that this has been a great building-block season for the Red Sox to demonstrate they are true contenders once again. I think next year is a year they could go all in and flex their muscles as an organization that believes they are two to three significant pieces away from being one of the elite teams in the game.

What do you think of a Joe Ryan pursuit this winter? Any ideas what a return package might look like?

I think it is absolutely on the table. The Crochet trade from last winter is somewhat of a blueprint, though I feel Crochet is a touch more dominant. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow traded four of the team’s top 15 prospects, as rated at the time by MLB Pipeline, to get Crochet. They might be able to reduce the prospect load by putting a Major Leaguer in the deal. Jarren Duran comes to mind for sure, given how deep the Sox are in the outfield with Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu.

Hey Ian, about 20 years ago when I was 12 years old, I emailed and asked you a question about Tim Wakefield and you posted the question and responded to it on an MLB.com article and I thought that was the coolest thing back then, so thank you for that memory! With the spirit of that in mind, what’s your favorite memory or story about Tim Wakefield that maybe we might not have heard before?

Wow, that makes me feel old! Haha. Seriously, that’s so nice of you to say. And you’re welcome. Tim was an all-time class act. I’m going to give you a personal anecdote when it comes to Tim. When my son, Tyler, was 12, he was with me at Spring Training on the day Wake announced his retirement. The festivities were held on the field at JetBlue Park, out near the Monster.

At the time, Tyler was having some confidence issues, as people sometimes do at that stage of life. I brought Tyler over and introduced him to Wakefield. Tim could not have been any kinder. Tyler’s self esteem shot up that day and he had a new favorite athlete. He was able to see Wakefield several times in the ensuing years around Fenway, and Tim was always so kind to him. That’s the kind of guy Tim Wakefield always was.