WooSox pitcher Payton Tolle gets ready to throw a pitch during his first Triple-A start on Aug. 10, 2025 at Polar Park. WooSox Photo/Ashley Green / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Red Sox Deserve Huge Credit For Urgency Shown By Payton Tolle Call-Up

Originally posted on Boston Red Sox on SI
By Jackson Roberts | Last updated Aug 28, 2025 8:43 PM ET

On Friday night, the eyes of the baseball world will be on Fenway Park.

The Boston Red Sox will take on the Pittsburgh Pirates in one of the most highly anticipated pitching matchups of the season. On one side: Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes, the odds-on favorite for National League Cy Young Award honors. On the other side: Payton Tolle, making his major league debut.

On Thursday, the Red Sox decided to select Tolle, their No. 1 pitching prospect, to make his major league debut. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic was the first to report the news of the call-up.

Payton Tolle decision shows Red Sox are all-in

Tolle, the Red Sox's 2024 second-round draft pick, has only made 20 appearances as a professional. But he's been absolutely dominant, striking out 133 batters in only 91 2/3 innings. He's got great command for someone with his electric stuff, only posting 2.26 walks per nine innings.

At age 22, there will naturally be questions about Tolle's readiness for the big stage, especially as he's being thrust right into the playoff race. But the Red Sox's decision to call him up shows very clearly that they sense an opportunity to go deep in the playoffs, and are taking every step possible to achieve that goal.

The Red Sox are paying Walker Buehler $21 million this year, and though it was time for a move, they could have kept giving him chances in the rotation and justified keeping Tolle in the minors. They also easily could have gone to Kyle Harrison, the lefty they acquired in the Rafael Devers trade, and cited his major league experience.

But the Red Sox didn't do any of that. They recognized that the lefty Tolle has superior stuff to anyone else in the mix, and gives them the best shot to win every fifth day, even if it's only for five innings or so per start.

Tolle against Skenes will be must-see TV. And for a month thereafter, plus however long the Red Sox are in the playoffs, the kid is going to be under a microscope -- but only because he deserves the attention.

This article first appeared on Boston Red Sox on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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