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Red Sox make decision on where No. 1 prospect Payton Tolle will start 2026 season
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- Red Sox make decision on where No. 1 prospect Payton Tolle will start 2026 season
FORT MYERS, Fla. — After making his big league debut in 2025, Payton Tolle will open the 2026 season in the minor leagues.
The No. 1 prospect in the Red Sox system, Tolle was reassigned to minor league camp on Monday evening. He'll presumably start the year in Triple-A Worcester.
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With Garrett Crochet , Ranger Suarez , Sonny Gray and Brayan Bello all locks for the big league rotation in Boston , it was an uphill climb for Tolle to make the Opening Day roster. Johan Oviedo and Connolly Early appeared to be the final two vying for the No. 5 starter spot; both made their last starts of spring on Monday.
As for Tolle, the 6-foot-6, 250-pound lefty rose rapidly through the Red Sox minor league system in 2025. After beginning the year in High-A Salem, Tolle made brief starts in Portland (6 appearances) and Worcester (3 starts) before he was summoned to Boston last August.
In four Grapefruit League appearances this spring, Tolle posted a 2.53 ERA in 10 ⅔ innings of work, striking out 13 and walking one.
One of the consensus best prospects in the game, Tolle enters 2026 as Baseball America's No. 17, MLB's No. 19, and Baseball Prospectus' No. 22.
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