Red Sox's Payton Tolle Gives Candid Take on Tight Roster Battle

Spring training is shaping up to be a tight battle for several Boston Red Sox pitchers to earn one spot in the rotation.

Young left-hander Payton Tolle got the nod in the Red Sox's Grapefruit League opener on Saturday against the Minnesota Twins. Tolle is one of five arms who seem to be gunning for the No. 5 spot in the opening day rotation, along with Connelly Early, Kutter Crawford, Patrick Sandoval, and Johan Oviedo.

Though Tolle allowed a solo home run to Twins third baseman Royce Lewis in the first inning, he showed well overall across two frames, including showcasing his brand-new sinker, which was grading off the charts on pitch-tracking metrics. It was an opening statement of sorts, and the statement Tolle made once he got off the mound was just as telling.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

Tolle makes it clear what he thinks of competition

Sep 24, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Red Sox catcher Carlos Narvaez (75) and relief pitcher Payton Tolle (70) celebrate a win over the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

After pitching a clean second inning and watching the rest of the Red Sox's 7-2 win, Tolle made it clear that he relishes the chance to tangle with a group of talented pitchers in what is probably the most intense competition for a start in any team's rotation this spring.

“I like to view it as a competition, just because that’s how we’re going to make each other better, whether that’s with Kutter or Connelly or Sandoval, whoever it is, we’re all fighting for that fifth spot and in the long run, that’s going to make us better," Tolle said, per Sean McAdam of MassLive.

“Everybody wants to be part of a starting five, so I’ll just try to do what I can, day after day. It’s a process that’s fun to be part of and I think that’s what makes everybody better.”

In the long run, Tolle probably has the best chance of anyone in the group to be a true ace of a major league staff. But he's got a lot of developing still to do, and the Red Sox, being a win-now team, aren't in a position to let him take his lumps at the major league level.

Avoiding the home run ball for the rest of the spring will be key for Tolle, in conjunction with proving that the sinker and his various offspeed offerings can effectively play off his devastating four-seam fastball.

However the competition plays out, though, you have to admire the youngster's enthusiasm to compete at the highest level.