Payton Tolle dominates in relief outing vs. Yankees

Before Wednesday, Payton Tolle’s 2026 spring has been underwhelming.

In two previous outings, the Red Sox’ big lefthanded pitching prospect had made two appearances — one a start, the other out of the bullpen — and had allowed three runs on four hits over 3.2 innings with just one strikeout.

Then came his relief outing against the New York Yankees. Tolle entered the game in the top of the seventh inning and proceeded to mow down the New York lineup, allowing one hit and one walk while fanning seven, including five in a row at one point and six out of seven.

“It was good,” a satisfied Tolle told reporters in Fort Myers after the Red Sox were banked 4-0 by their rivals. “It was good to reach back and be aggressive through the zone.”

Tolle aired our his four-seamer at times, hitting 100.2 mph. He also mixed in some secondary pitches, with 12 cutters, eight curveballs, four sliders and two changeups. Almost every pitch was effective.

Tolle made a determination to be more aggressive on the mound and liked the results.

“I was just trying to be confident in my stuff,” said Tolle. “Recently, I’ve been trying to ‘pitch,’ and my game isn’t really that. I just have to go out and take my best stuff out there and fly through the zone, be aggressive and pitch offensively.

“It was a good feeling. The last couple of times the two-strike kill hasn’t been there, but today, I felt more confident with two strikes.”

Tolle was also pleased that he was able to put away a couple of hitters with his curveball, as he attempts to refine some of his secondary pitches.

It remains unlikely that Tolle will break camp with the team, as the Red Sox’ rotation is pretty full and the team would prefer to have him continue to start at Worcester rather than contribute out of the major league bullpen.

Still, outings like Wednesday can’t hurt the cause.

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