Tolle allowed one unearned run on three hits while striking out four over three relief innings in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Athletics.
Tolle, who last pitched eight days ago, made his first appearance as a reliever after the team announced Wednesday that the left-hander would be shifting to the bullpen. Boston manager Alex Cora gave starter Brayan Bello the hook after 70 pitches and four innings, as the Red Sox have slipped and are just 1.5 games ahead of the surging Guardians for the final wild-card spot. Tolle didn't get any help from Trevor Story, who committed two errors in the game.
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Red Sox's Payton Tolle: Shifting to bullpen role
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Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Wednesday that Tolle will be used out of the bullpen for the remainder of the season, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
Connelly Early is remaining in the rotation and Kyle Harrison will join the rotation this weekend, leaving Tolle to fill a relief role the rest of the way. All three of Tolle's appearances for the Red Sox to this point have come as a starter, and he's posted a 7.84 ERA and 12:6 K:BB over 10.1 innings.
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Red Sox's Payton Tolle: Appears pegged for bulk relief
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The Red Sox could use Tolle in a bulk-relief role over the final two weeks of the regular season, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
Tolle made an abbreviated start last week versus the Athletics, allowing two runs over two innings. Lucas Giolito and Brayan Bello have both been moved up ahead of Tolle to start Wednesday and Thursday against the Athletics, respectively, on regular rest. While Tolle could conceivably receive another start this weekend versus the Rays, a more likelier scenario is that both he and Kyle Harrison serve as multi-inning relievers or work as a tandem when the fifth spot in the rotation comes up. Tolle struck out eight and yielded just two runs over 5.1 frames in his major-league debut Aug. 29, but he's permitted seven runs with a 4:4 K:BB across five innings in two outings since then.
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Red Sox's Payton Tolle: In line for abbreviated start
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Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that Tolle will make an abbreviated start in Wednesday's game against the Athletics in Sacramento, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Over the weekend, Cora had said that Tolle would be part of the pitching plan for Wednesday's game, though the rookie wasn't in line to start. Cora has since opted to have Tolle make a start in the series finale, though the left-hander will handle a restricted workload since he'll be pitching on four days' rest for the first time all season. The Red Sox will recall Kyle Harrison from Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday, and he could end up piggybacking Tolle in the contest. Through his first two MLB starts, Tolle has struck out 10 over 8.1 innings but has given up seven earned runs on eight hits and six walks.
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Red Sox's Payton Tolle: Second start goes off rails
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Tolle (0-1) allowed five runs on five hits and four walks while striking out two over three innings to take the loss Friday versus the Diamondbacks.
Tolle fell behind early when he gave up a solo home run to Geraldo Perdomo in the first inning. He then allowed Jordan Lawlar to score on a wild pitch in the second before Ildemaro Vargas lifted a three-run homer in the third. Tolle's second start was obviously a disappoint compared to his encouraging MLB debut versus the Pirates last week. He's now allowed seven runs with a 10:6 K:BB across 8.1 innings. Tolle has gotten at least five days of rest between every start this season, so the Red Sox may need to incorporate a sixth starter or bullpen days down the stretch if they intend to keep him on that schedule.
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Red Sox's Payton Tolle: Date of next start uncertain
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Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Saturday that he's unsure if Tolle will start on four days' rest Wednesday versus Cleveland, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports
Tolle shined in his MLB debut Friday, allowing two runs on three hits with two walks and eight strikeouts over 5.1 innings in a no-decision against Pittsburgh. While the rookie southpaw should get another turn in the rotation, Healey notes that Tolle wasn't regularly pitching on four days of rest in the minors, so the Red Sox -- who will have an off day Thursday -- may opt to hold him back until next Friday's game in Arizona. That decision isn't set in stone yet, as Cora said the team is still thinking about who will start Wednesday.
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Red Sox's Payton Tolle: Fans eight in major-league debut
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Tolle did not factor into Friday's decision against the Pirates, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out eight across 5.1 innings.
Though Tolle was facing a Pirates team that entered Friday with the least amount of runs scored in the majors (484), he was also against ace Paul Skenes, so a win was going to be hard to collect in the former's major-league debut. Even so, Tolle rose to the occasion, generating 14 whiffs on 84 pitches (53 strikes) with six of his eight punchouts coming on four-seam fastballs. The 22-year-old southpaw kept the Pirates off the board through the first five innings, but he was pulled from the game in the sixth after allowing two baserunners, both of whom were brought home on a Tommy Pham double. With Richard Fitts (elbow) on the 15-day IL and Walker Buehler being released, Tolle figures to be a part of the Red Sox's rotation for the rest of the regular season. He's slated to start against the Guardians at home next week, when he'll look to earn the first win of his major-league career.
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Red Sox's Payton Tolle: Making MLB debut Friday
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The Red Sox are expected to select Tolle's contract from Triple-A Worcester and have him start Friday's game against the Pirates, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
After beginning the season at High-A Greenville, Tolle has breezed through the Red Sox's farm system while posting a 3.04 ERA and 0.99 WHIP over 91.2 total innings between three affiliates. With Richard Fitts sidelined with right arm neuritis, the 22-year-old Tolle will now get the chance to fill the hole in the MLB rotation. He'll draw a favorable matchup for his big-league debut at Fenway Park, taking on a Pirates offense that ranks 30th in baseball with a .657 OPS. On a less fortunate note for Tolle, he'll be opposing Pittsburgh ace and NL Cy Young Award candidate Paul Skenes, with that head-to-head matchup perhaps working against Tolle's chances of securing a win in his big-league debut. If the young lefty handles his first test in the majors well, he could be in line to make a few additional starts or bulk-relief appearances with Boston.
