Aug 29, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Payton Tolle (70) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Red Sox Share Expected Payton Tolle Playoff Push Decision

Originally posted on Boston Red Sox on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Aug 30, 2025 8:21 PM ET

The Boston Red Sox got a much-needed boost in the starting rotation on Friday night.

Boston fans certainly must not be happy with the club losing back-to-back games against the Pittsburgh Pirates, but there has been a silver lining this weekend and his name is Payton Tolle. The Red Sox opened up a spot in the rotation by demoting Walker Buehler to the bullpen.

Initially, it was filled by Brennan Bernardino as an opener and Richard Fitts doing the bulk of the work afterward. Fitts landed on the Injured List, though, leading to a question in the rotation. Tolle stepped up and was promoted on Friday and had one of the best MLB debuts you are going to see from a young starter. He was electric, to say the least.

Tolle pitched 5 1/3 innings and struck out eight batters while allowing two earned runs, two walks, and three base hits.

Now, the question is whether or not Tolle is here to stay? Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow spoke about Tolle on Friday and made it clear the expectation is that Tolle will be here to help Boston down the stretch, as shared by WEEI's Tom Carroll.

Will the Red Sox keep Payton Tolle up for the playoff push?

"We brought up Payton with the expectation that he’s gonna be able to contribute down the stretch for us. And exactly what that looks like is to be determined. But he’s over the last 4-5 months really impressed at every level.

“He’s made significant strides in terms of his development, and we have every reason to believe that he can be a very good major league starting pitcher.”

The Red Sox have been monitoring Tolle's pitch count for months. From his first start, he made it clear that he can help this team out. But, he is just 22 years old and is in unchartered territory innings pitched-wise. It will be interesting to see how the Red Sox navigate that hurdle down the stretch, but it doesn't sound like he's going back to Worcester any time soon.

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

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