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A factor in Red Sox roster battle? Service time of two key rookie pitchers
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- A factor in Red Sox roster battle? Service time of two key rookie pitchers
There’s an interesting undercurrent when it comes to the competition for the fifth spot in the Red Sox ’ rotation — and it may impact the club for years to come.
Since the beginning of camp, the Red Sox have made it clear they have a “job to win” in the rotation behind Garrett Crochet , Ranger Suárez , Sonny Gray and Brayan Bello . Five different pitchers are, at least nominally, in the mix. Offseason trade acquisition Johan Oviedo has the inside track to winning the job — and helped his case with a strong outing Monday — but returnees Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval and rookies Connelly Early and Payton Tolle have all been told they have a chance. Because Crawford and Sandoval are both behind (neither has pitched in game action yet) and seem unlikely to be ready for the Opening Day rotation, it seems at this point to be a race between Oviedo, Early and Tolle.
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If Oviedo wins the job as expected, the Red Sox intend to option Early and Tolle to Triple-A Worcester — not put them in the major league bullpen — to start the season. At that point, service time considerations would come squarely into play.
Necessity forced the Red Sox to call up both lefties to debut earlier than expected at the end of last season and therefore, the service clocks of both 23-year-olds started ticking. Tolle, who debuted on August 29, was in the major leagues for 31 days. Early, who shined in his September 9 debut, was there for 20. As 2026 begins, the Red Sox are incentivized — with an extra year of control over each pitcher hanging in the balance — to push back the clock a bit.
Major league seasons last a total of 187 days (including off days) and players get a full year of service time if they’re on the active roster (or injured list) for 172. Therefore, if the pitchers spend a certain, cumulative amount of time in the minors at any point this year — 35 days for Early and 46 for Tolle — they would hit free agency a year later than expected (after 2032, not 2031). Early can be in the majors for all but five weeks for the Red Sox to gain control of his age-29 season. Tolle, who is seven months younger, would need to spend 7-½ weeks in Triple-A for that to be the case.
By building a strong pool of depth by adding Suárez, Gray and Oviedo to the group of returnees, the Red Sox raised the ceiling of their rotation while also lessening the need for Early and Tolle to start the year in the majors. The organization feels that both, despite flashes of brilliance in the big leagues down the stretch, could use more minor league seasoning, too. Tolle has just one professional season (and three Triple-A starts) under his belt while Early, despite having been drafted a year earlier, pitched just 28-⅔ innings for Worcester before being called up. That factor, plus the service time considerations at play, make it clear that the preferred path is both pitching out of the WooSox rotation once late March rolls around.
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Oviedo also has minor league options remaining, so he can be sent down at any time, but indications are he’s being given every chance to claim an Opening Day spot. After an uneven Grapefruit League debut a week ago against the Twins in which he walked three batters and hit another, Oviedo rebounded nicely Monday against Toronto , scattering two hits and striking out four in three scoreless innings. Most encouragingly, he pounded the strike zone, throwing 25 of his 31 pitches for strikes.
If Oviedo does make the team, the Red Sox would likely look at Crawford and Sandoval as the top immediate depth options behind him, assuming both are healthy around when the season starts. Both pitchers faced hitters in live batting practice sessions Friday and could get into games soon . It appears the out-of-options Sandoval, perhaps as a long reliever, has the better chance of cracking the Opening Day roster than Crawford, who is further behind. It seems the preferred scenario is to enter the season with Oviedo in the No. 5 spot and both Sandoval and Crawford pushing to unseat him if he struggles early. Having that depth allows the Red Sox to get Early and Tolle more time in Triple-A.
A spring injury to one of Boston ’s top four starters would change things. If one of the veterans were to be sidelined, the Red Sox would be more likely to install either Early or Tolle in the Opening Day group because they are pitching in games without limitations (unlike Crawford and Sandoval) at this point. An outstanding, eye-opening spring push from either starter would likely force the Red Sox to consider them for the start of the year but neither has been dominant. Tolle allowed three hits and plunked two batters while recording four outs Thursday against the Rays . Early was tagged for two runs on three hits in 2-⅔ frames in his last outing, too.
Any service time considerations would disappear if the Red Sox were to reach long-term extensions with either Early or Tolle, and considering the organization’s recent track record of successfully locking up young players, overtures may be made before Opening Day. At the beginning of camp, both pitchers said they had yet to talk about deals with the club .
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The Red Sox could also take a calculated risk as it pertains to the PPI (Prospect Promotion Incentive) program the league implemented in 2022 as Early and Tolle are both eligible for the incentives as players with rookie status who are considered top-100 prospects. If the pitchers are on the roster for the entire season — or are called up within two weeks and spend the rest of the year active — and either win the Rookie of the Year award or place in the top three for MVP or Cy Young — the Red Sox would get an extra draft pick after the first round in 2027. That scenario, however, remains unlikely.
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