- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,153,030
- Reaction score
- 59
You must be registered for see images attach
Red Sox Insider Makes Interesting Opening Day Forecast For Payton Tolle/Connelly Early originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
MassLive's Sean McAdam believes the Boston Red Sox may have made a savvy adjustment to their bullpen blueprint as spring training winds down. With Opening Day just days away, the veteran reporter suggested one of the club’s top young starters could stick around in a long-relief role rather than heading straight to Worcester.
“It’s smart of the Red Sox to amend their bullpen plans,” McAdam wrote on Sunday. “Originally, word was they wouldn’t keep either Payton Tolle or Connelly Early to pitch out of the bullpen, preferring them to work as starters in Worcester. But with Ranger Suarez not fully built up, that may change and now one could make the team out of camp as a long man to piggyback Suarez.”
Manager Alex Cora already outlined the rotation’s first turn earlier this week, locking in Garrett Crochet, Sonny Gray, and others while leaving the back end fluid. Both Tolle and Early have impressed in Grapefruit League action, flashing command and swing-and-miss stuff that has kept them in the conversation for roster spots. As noted by McAdam, the flexibility to deploy one as a multi-inning bridge would protect the staff early.
This move would buy time for Suarez to stretch out without rushing him. Tolle and Early have already shown they can handle the jump; now the organization must decide which path maximizes their development and immediate help.
More MLB: Meet the New Red Sox: What's Changed — and Why It Matters in 2026
Continue reading...
