Boston Red Sox pitcher Payton Tolle is expected to make his Spring Training debut on Saturday against the Minnesota Twins.
Tolle is one of a slew of arms in contention for the No. 5 spot in the Red Sox rotation and on Thursday, MLB insider Jim Bowden dished heavy praise for the young left-hander.
The senior writer for The Athletic and former general manager included Tolle on his list of "MLB rookies to watch this spring" as one of "20 players poised to make an impact in 2026."
Bowden compared Tolle to retired three-time All-Star David Wells.
"At quick glance, Tolle, 23, elicits memories of David Wells," Bowden wrote. "Tolle has a huge frame (6-4, 254) and gets special extension down the mound that helps his high-90s fastball with excellent spin rate generate a lot of swings and misses. He releases the ball from a low three-quarters arm slot and also features a power slider and solid cutter."
Tolle allowed 12 runs (11 earned) on 18 hits with eight walks and 19 strikeouts across 16 1/3 innings pitched in his first taste of the big leagues in 2025. He also had his first playoff experience in October, recording a key out in Game 2 of the AL Wild Card series against the New York Yankees.
"For me, Tolle profiles as a mid-rotation starter," Bowden wrote. "He appears to be major-league ready but the Red Sox might start him in Triple A given the additions they’ve made to their rotation this offseason."
Wells spent four of his 21 MLB seasons with the Yankees, earning his second of three All-Star nods as one of the aces of New York's historic World Series-winning 1998 team.
"Boomer" then joined the other side of the rivalry, signing with Boston in December 2004.
Wells went 17-10 with a 4.56 ERA across 38 starts with the Red Sox before being traded to the San Diego Padres in August 2006.
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