Red Sox’s Payton Tolle Sure Looks Untouchable in Boston

If you're a Boston Red Sox fan looking for a bit of optimism in a down season, look no further than the club's starting rotation.

Right now, the Red Sox have the 12th-best starting rotation ERA in baseball for the season at 4.24. But that doesn't tell the entire story. Boston's pitching has been red-hot lately. The Red Sox have the third-best overall ERA in baseball over the last 15 days at 2.61. Boston has the fourth-best overall ERA in the game in general over the last 30 days at 3.27. Boston's pitching has been this good despite Garrett Crochet having a 6.30 ERA and not pitching since April 25. Also, Brayan Bello has a 7.16 ERA overall on the season so far.

That just goes to show how well the rest of the staff is pitching. Ranger Suárez has lived up to his big contract so far. Sonny Gray has been the savvy veteran Boston desperately needed. Connelly Early earned a spot in the rotation out of Spring Training and has a 3.21 ERA in nine starts. The 23-year-old Payton Tolle has gotten a shot in the majors due to injuries and has flashed his massive upside. Tolle has made five starts and has a 2.05 ERA. Of everyone in the Red Sox's rotation right now, there arguably isn't anyone with the same long-term upside as Tolle.

The Red Sox Have A Budding Star In Payton Tolle

May 16, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Payton Tolle (70) reacts after throwing against the Atlanta Braves in the eighth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Clearly, he has fans around the league as well. On Tuesday, Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter wrote up a column picking one "untouchable" player from each team, not including guys with long-term deals already in place. For Boston, guys like Crochet and Roman Anthony clearly weren't considered. For the Red Sox, Reuter picked Tolle as the guy.

"Boston Red Sox: LHP Payton Tolle," Reuter wrote. "Arbitration-eligible through 2031. Tolle took his lumps as a late-season call-up last year, but he is showing this season why he was the consensus top arm in the Boston system. With a 2.05 ERA and 0.78 WHIP in 30.2 innings through five starts, he's pitching like a future ace. It's hard to imagine the Red Sox parting with a guy who has a chance to be their best homegrown starter since Jon Lester."

This is just one person's opinion, but it just goes to show how well Tolle is pitching right now. If he weren't this hot, the answer easily could've been someone like Early or another young guy on the roster. But Tolle looks like he could be a legit long-term No. 1 ace anchoring a starting rotation. Fortunately, the Red Sox have Crochet and Suárez on long-term deals and both Early and Tolle are under team control. Boston's pitching is very good right now and should be for years to come.

Reuter is right. Tolle looks like a superstar in the making and his advanced metrics have unsurprisingly been off the charts as well. This kid is an absolute stud and shouldn't ever go anywhere.

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