Red Sox Finalize Opening Day Fates of Connelly Early, Payton Tolle

The Boston Red Sox have seemingly decided where two of the franchise's top prospects will be pitching to begin the 2026 season.

Left-handed pitcher Payton Tolle, Boston's No. 1 prospect and MLB Pipeline's No. 19 overall prospect for 2026, has been optioned to minor league camp, the Red Sox announced on Monday. He's expected to start the year at Triple-A. On the other hand, southpaw Connelly Early will be on Boston's Opening Day roster, according to Red Sox beat writer Chris Cotillo. The Red Sox's No. 3 prospect is reportedly one of the candidates to start Boston's third game of the season, with offseason acquisition Johan Oviedo being another possible option.

Early and Tolle both posted strong numbers this spring. But with Garrett Crochet, Sonny Gray, Ranger Suárez, and Brayan Bello all seemingly locked in to Boston's rotation, the two prospects were essentially battling with Oviedo for the last spot on the starting pitching staff. Now, though, it appears Early and Oviedo will both be with the big league team on Opening Day, while Tolle heads to the minors.

Outlook on Connelly Early and Payton Tolle in 2026

Sep 16, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Connelly Early (71) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Athletics at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

Tolle and Early both made their major league debuts last year. Tolle pitched in seven regular-season games, while Early made five starts for the Red Sox, including one in the playoffs. But Tolle had a 6.06 ERA in 16 1/3 innings pitched, while Early posted a 2.33 ERA in 19 1/3 regular-season innings.

Both 23-year-old southpaws have minimal Triple-A experience so far, with Tolle making three starts at that level compared to Early's six. It wouldn't have been surprising if both young arms opened the season at Triple-A, but Early produced a 1.59 ERA in 17 innings this spring. Tolle wasn't far behind that, either, with a 2.53 ERA in 10 2/3 spring training innings.

While it's unclear how the Red Sox plan to deploy Early and Oviedo at the beginning of the big league season, Cotillo said it "remains unlikely" the young lefty is initially used out of the bullpen. That could put the 23-year-old in line to start Boston's third regular-season game against the Cincinnati Reds.

Meanwhile, Tolle will continue his development in the minors. But the hard-throwing southpaw should be an option to rejoin the Red Sox at some point this season.