Red Sox Insider Says Pitching Prospect ‘Could Rise Quickly’ Through Minors

Boston Red Sox pitcher Payton Tolle surprised many baseball fans in 2025 when he tore his way through the minors and made his MLB debut in August, just 13 months after being selected in the second round of the 2024 draft.

Red Sox reporter Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald wrote on Sunday that 2025 first-round pick Kyson Witherspoon will try to do something similar to what Tolle accomplished in 2026.

“Last season Tolle established himself as one of the breakout prospects in all of baseball, going from High-A to the majors in his first full professional season,” Cerullo said. “Now Witherspoon will try to follow in his footsteps.”

Boston selected Witherspoon out of the University of Oklahoma with the 15th overall pick in June and MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo recently named the right-hander as one of five Red Sox pitching prospects that could arrive to the majors in 2026.

Witherspoon went 10-4 with a 2.65 ERA and 124 strikeouts in 95 innings last season with the Sooners.

“The 21-year-old boasts a fastball that has topped out at 99 mph as well as two quality secondary pitches, his cutter and slider,” Cerullo wrote. “Between his advanced arsenal and impressive control, Witherspoon projects as someone who could rise quickly through the minors.”