Payton Tolle News: Making MLB debut Friday

The Red Sox are expected to select Tolle's contract from Triple-A Worcester and have him start Friday's game against the Pirates, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

After beginning the season at High-A Greenville, Tolle has breezed through the Red Sox's farm system while posting a 3.04 ERA and 0.99 WHIP over 91.2 total innings between three affiliates. With Richard Fitts sidelined with right arm neuritis, the 22-year-old Tolle will now get the chance to fill the hole in the MLB rotation. He'll draw a favorable matchup for his big-league debut at Fenway Park, taking on a Pirates offense that ranks 30th in baseball with a .657 OPS. On a less fortunate note for Tolle, he'll be opposing Pittsburgh ace and NL Cy Young Award candidate Paul Skenes, with that head-to-head matchup perhaps working against Tolle's chances of securing a win in his big-league debut. If the young lefty handles his first test in the majors well, he could be in line to make a few additional starts or bulk-relief appearances with Boston.