If you don't know the name Payton Tolle, you should probably familiarize yourself with him soon. While the new top prospect in the Boston Red Sox system according to Baseball America (No. 49 in MLB) isn't heading to play at Fenway Park just yet, the possibility of that happening for the stretch run and perhaps the playoffs is realer than ever. On Sunday evening following the Red Sox' sweep of the Houston Astros, the organization promoted Tolle from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester. And it's hard not to think that Boston might have its next Garrett Crochet on the rise because of that.
Tolle, who was the Red Sox' second-round pick out of TCU just last year, didn't pitch in the minors a season ago and started the 2025 campaign in Single-A. He dominated in Greenville across 11 appearances and 10 starts, most importantly showing an uptick to the high-90s with his fastball and a breakthrough with his secondary and breaking pitches. That was evident in Double-A as he mowed down everyone across six outings and five starts with a 1.67 ERA, 0.741 WHIP and a 12.3 strikeouts-per-9 rate.
If you need a look at how dominant the 6-foot-6 lefty can be, just take a look at how outmatched Double-A hitters looked against Tolle this year.
Payton Tolle racking up strikeouts at AA. pic.twitter.com/VZzsgjNE9N
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) August 4, 2025
Now, the stuff might not be as electric as it is with Crochet — few guys have that in their arsenal. However, the path that the Red Sox now have Tolle on a fast track this season suggests a similar track to the one that their ace experienced to begin his career with the Chicago White Sox prior to be traded to Boston.
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Payton Tolle promotion puts Red Sox prospect on track to be next Garrett Crochet
For those who don't remember, the White Sox selected Crochet with the 11th pick in the 2020 draft out of Tennessee. Unlike Tolle, he didn't even waste a second in the minors and was called up to Chicago to help the White Sox in a push for the postseason. But like Tolle, he was also projected as a starter long-term (which obviously came to fruition), but was called up as an ace out of the bullpen for the late-season push and the playoffs themselves.
That's where the comparison to Tolle comes into the equation. It's exceedingly rare that the Red Sox fast-track pitchers to the level that they have with the big southpaw, spending just six games in Double-A and ending up in Triple-A by early August. How they've handled him suggests that he's in consideration to be called up as a dominant reinforcement for the bullpen and perhaps a weapon for the playoffs as well.
Boston's bullpen has been much better than people might realize this season. It's also a group that added more depth at the deadline with Steven Matz and should get Justin Slaten and possibly Luis Guerrero back as more help later this season. But Tolle stands out. His stuff might be second to only Aroldis Chapman in the current bullpen group — aside from Jordan Hicks, who has zero clue where his good stuff is actually going — and could be an unfamiliar and overwhelming force if the Red Sox call on him.
This, of course, isn't a guarantee. But it's absolutely something that the Red Sox and fans should be overly excited about for the stretch run. Boston is pushing Tolle to a level that we haven't seen in a long time with a pitcher and Crochet is a relatively close comparison for how quickly he's been moved along in the system. And for a team that's now only three games back of the AL East lead and atop the AL Wild Card, adding a piece like that could be a true game-changer that pushes the Red Sox to another level on the bump.