Red Sox Projected to Option 6 Talented Arms to Triple-A

When you build one of the best and deepest rotations in Major League Baseball, it has major implications for the Triple-A roster as well.

The Boston Red Sox picked up three big-league starting pitchers this winter, transforming their rotation into a powerhouse on paper. The side effect of adding Sonny Gray, Johan Oviedo, and Ranger Suárez, however, was that top prospects Payton Tolle and Connelly Early were pushed down the depth chart.

With two months to go until the major league and Triple-A rosters have to be decided, one Boston insider projected the Worcester Red Sox's rotation to begin the new season, and suffice it to say that hitters in the International League might not be too comfortable.

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Six pitchers in Worcester projection would all need to be optioned

Payton Tolle, Connelly Early — Pitchers Payton Tolle (left) and Connelly Early (second from left) stand for the national anthem ahead of Triple-A Worcester's game at Polar Park on Aug. 21, 2025. | WooSox Photo/Ashley Green / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

MassLive's Christopher Smith projected the WooSox's rotation for the start of the new seasons as follows:

1. Payton Tolle (L)
2. Connelly Early (L)
3. Kyle Harrison (L)
4. Tyler Uberstine (R)
5. David Sandlin (R)
6. Shane Drohan (L)

While that's clearly a lot of lefties, it seems unlikely that the Red Sox are fretting about their Triple-A opponents getting too many of the same looks. Every single pitcher on that list could have a big-league future, and in fact, we'll go ahead and predict that all six will pitch for Boston at some point this year.

The Red Sox are also in the unique situation where all six of those prospective Triple-A arms are already on the 40-man roster and would therefore need to be optioned at the end of spring training, which is one way of starting the hourglass on their major league careers.

Tolle and Early are known commodities at this point, and Red Sox fans' hopes are sky-high. But there's a chance for a post-hype breakout from Harrison, who doesn't turn 25 until August and was as highly-ranked a prospect as Tolle and Early are now coming into the 2024 season.

Sandlin is a fireballer, and he seems like a strong candidate to eventually move to the bullpen. Drohan is somewhat in the same boat, as he generates a ton of strikeouts, but is clearly a long way down on the depth chart of lefties (we haven't even mentioned big-league veteran Patrick Sandoval).

That leaves Uberstine, who was arguably the WooSox's most consistent pitcher last year. The Red Sox wouldn't have protected him from the Rule 5 Draft if they didn't think he could contribute in some fashion in 2026.

Injuries will happen, but it's still hard to fathom how all six of these pitchers could be in the minors at the same time. The Red Sox are at a fortunate point in their history in terms of pitching depth; now they just need to capitalize.

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