As Payton Tolle prepares to make his debut at Fenway Park against Paul Skenes and an ailing Pirates team, much can be made by comparing Opening Day rosters and current day rosters, and specifically, how much longer the lower-level relief guys go in games. It’s not uncommon at all to see Greenville and Salem use just two pitchers in games to the point of them getting torched, which seems counterproductive to the idea of letting guys develop naturally. But, the counterpoint of this is that some of these
prospects aren’t highly heralded as guys like Tolle, and to a lesser extent David Sandlin (who’s seen some struggles of his own) and Connelly Early, and so they’re justified casualties. What are your thoughts? Let’s get into Thursday’s action.
Worcester: L, 1-4 (BOX SCORE)
Jose DeLeon is probably a great clubhouse presence for the Worcester pitching staff. He made his Major League debut in 2016 after only pitching in affiliate leagues, and pitched in the 2017 World Baseball Classic for Puerto Rico. He turned 33 earlier this month and has not looked great this season coming back from Tommy John surgery, and it’s probably time he looks at some shorter reps. He was taken deep by Durham (Rays AAA) three times in five innings on Friday, finishing the game before it started. Outside of a couple hits by Max Ferguson, the WooSox did not look sharp at the plate, either, stranding ten and striking out twelve times.
But, in happier news, Payton Tolle debuts today! You’ve heard buzz about him, and maybe even some comparisons to Garrett Crochet. The buzz is justified, but remember that there are bound to be some growing pains when moving a pitcher up this quickly. But, Tolle as a prospect is extremely exciting. He’s got it all: the pitch shape, the size, and the stuff. Plus he’s a lefty.
Portland: W, 15-3 (BOX SCORE)
Portland, more than any other team in the organization, has been ravaged in the late going in 2025. Look at their Opening Day roster and note the amount of guys who are no longer with the team in some capacity: Mikey Romero, Password Garcia, Corey Rosier, Blaze Jordan, and that’s not even counting 75% of the pitching staff. It is perfectly understandable why the lineup would have trouble hitting. But, on Wednesday against the Yard Goats (Rockies AA), the Sea Dogs made the most of a great one-hit start by Eduardo Rivera and got to Hartford for sixteen hits. Funny enough, just three of these were extra base hits, but Brooks Brannon continued feasting off the bat with four hits on the night. The security at the bottom of the lineup was the difference maker for Portland in this one; their bottom six slots in the lineup all scored multiple times.
Greenville: L, 2-8 (BOX SCORE)
After a very short Jedixson Paez start that came to an end after he tweaked his elbow, Blake Aita came in on short notice and did not look sharp, letting up a home run from Bowling Green (Rays High-A) right off the rip. Unfortunately, the pitching staff as a whole in the organization is suffering from the meteoric rise of several arms, and so Blake Aita had to go more than four innings before turning it over to a more steady Jonathan Brand. Johanfran Garcia did notch his eighth homerun in High-A in the ninth inning, but at that point it was an 8-2 game.
Salem: Salem: W, 5-4 (BOX SCORE)
A gutsy win in Kannapolis for the Sale-Sox! Salem found themselves down 4-0 in the fourth and gave up nine walks in the first five innings, but roared back with a bases-loaded line drive by Kleyvar Salazar to score two. The following inning, Yoelin Cespedes would play hero as he has so many times this year, making it a 4-3 game. And, in the ninth, Enddy Azocar hit the sealing home run to score Jack Winnay, who’s settled down quite a bit from his wild first week of professional baseball but is still known to get on base. Brad Allmer, who was relied on for the final out of the eighth, slammed the door in the ninth and got the decision win.
Have a great Friday!
