Red Sox's Top Pitching Prospect Shares Hilarious Quote on Trying to Make MLB Roster

You most likely haven't heard this one before

Mar 12, 2023; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; a general view of the stadium before the start of a game between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees during spring training at JetBlue Park at Fenway South. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

One of the most exciting elements of spring training is hearing about young baseball players who are trying to crack an MLB opening day roster for the first time. And when it comes to the Boston Red Sox's top pitching prospect, he has an incredibly amusing way of looking at that task.

Payton Tolle, the Red Sox's No. 2 prospect in 2025 and MLB Pipeline's No. 19 overall prospect for 2026, recently shared an extremely unique quote about his mindset heading into spring training and his goal of making the MLB team.

"Fight like you're the third monkey trying to get on the ark and it's starting to rain," Tolle said in a video posted by the Baseball Isn't Boring podcast. "I'm trying to work hard to do what I can today because I can't control what happens in two months. I'm gonna have to work with what I can do right now and then stack days on top of another and, you know, whatever happens, happens. They're gonna take the best 26 guys that we have, and if I put myself in a good position, then sure, hopefully I am one of the 26." When asked in a follow-up question if he made up that initial quote, Tolle added, "I saw it on a shirt once."

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Will Payton Tolle be on Boston's opening day roster?

Aug 29, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Payton Tolle (70) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Beyond that entertaining quote, Tolle had a remarkable first full season in professional baseball in 2025. The 2024 second-round draft pick had a meteoric rise through three minor league levels to eventually make his major league debut with Boston last year. The 23-year-old had 133 strikeouts and a 3.04 ERA in over 91 minor league innings, but posted a 6.06 ERA with 19 strikeouts in seven major league appearances.

The Red Sox's starting pitching was in a much different position at the end of 2025 than it is now, however. Boston dealt with injuries and struggles at the bottom of their rotation, which opened the door for Tolle's big league debut. Heading into 2026, though, the Red Sox made multiple moves to bolster their rotation, including signing Ranger Suárez to a five-year deal and trading for three-time All-Star Sonny Gray.

Given his limited experience in the minors, it seems most realistic for Tolle to begin the 2026 campaign at Triple-A. He made just three starts at Triple-A last year, the same number of games he started for the Red Sox. But if Tolle has a strong spring training or any other Boston starters get injured, he could be in consideration to crack the opening day rotation.

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