Red Sox
Tolle was overcome with emotion when Worcester Red Sox manager Chad Tracy told him he’d be pitching in Boston.
Another top Red Sox prospect got the call to the show this week. With that, another heartwarming video of the prospect receiving the news has emerged on social media.
Boston promoted 22-year-old left-handed pitcher Payton Tolle to the Red Sox on Thursday to pitch against Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Fenway Park. Triple-A Worcester Red Sox manager Chad Tracy relayed the news to Tolle in his office, resulting in an emotional response that was recorded.
“So, tomorrow, there’s a game here. Pirates versus the Red Sox, Tracy told Tolle. “Paul Skenes versus TBD. We were thinking of turning that TBD into Tolle. What do you think?”
Tolle, Boston’s top-ranked prospect (No. 28 by MLB.com), caught on pretty quickly. He became emotional almost instantly, rubbing his face and eyes as he absorbed what he was hearing.
“Sounds pretty good to me,” Tolle said, with tears in his eyes and a shaky voice.
“You think you can handle that? Fenway Park? You and Skenes?” Tracy asked.
“Yeah. That sounds good to me,” Tolle replied.
It was a memorable moment for the 6-foot-6, 250-pound southpaw, who started the 2025 season in High-A Greenville. Tolle was promoted to Double-A Portland in late June and was in Triple-A by early August. A few weeks later, he found himself on the mound at Fenway Park and pitching against one of the best arms in all of baseball.
Aside from the pure joy of reaching the Majors, Tolle may have had someone else on his mind in that moment with his manager. Tolle’s mom, Jina, passed away in May 2024 after a battle with colon cancer. Tolle was drafted No. 50 overall by Boston two months later.
One year later, he achieved his dream of becoming a MLB pitcher.
Tolle spoke about his mom to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo last fall.
“She was amazing,” Tolle said. “She was my best friend and somebody I could always go to about absolutely anything. I think anybody you’d talk to would say she was incredible to be around. I can’t remember any time we hung out with anybody and didn’t just have fun being with each other.”
It’s hard to imagine that his late mom wasn’t on his mind while in Tracy’s office this week.
Get the latest Boston sports news
Receive updates on your favorite Boston teams, straight from our newsroom to your inbox.