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Alex Cora looks on during a game against the Mariners.

The Boston Red Sox have now dropped two straight to the New York Yankees at Fenway Park. Tuesday’s 4-0 shutout was difficult enough. Wednesday’s 4-1 defeat, with Max Fried striking out nine across eight innings, was more of the same. Boston is 9-15 and has lost four of their last five games.

Thursday brings Cam Schlittler to the mound for New York, the Walpole native who ended Boston’s season last October. The Red Sox are looking to avoid the sweep. Brayan Bello, who was scheduled to pitch on Thursday has been pushed to Friday.

With the spot now open, a rotation decision has been made.

Who Will Start on Thursday?

According to MLB reporters Ian Browne and Chris Cotillo, Payton Tolle has been called up and will make his season debut on the mound Thursday against the Yankees.

The confirmation ends days of speculation that began when Triple-A Worcester manager Chad Tracy indicated there was a strong chance Tolle would join the Red Sox this week.

The timing could not be more significant. Boston faces their fiercest rival in a must-win game to avoid a sweep, with their offense having managed just nine hits across two games in the series. Tolle will not be eased in gently. He steps straight into one of the toughest environments in baseball.

Manager Alex Cora summed up the challenge facing the Red Sox heading into Thursday simply. “It’s not going to get easier,” he said.

GettyPayton Tolle of the Boston Red Sox will pitch against the Yankees.

What Tolle Brings to the Mound

The call-up is confirmation of what the Red Sox believe Tolle is capable of. He lost the final rotation spot to Connelly Early coming out of spring training, a decision that made sense at the time. With Sonny Gray now on the injured list with a right hamstring strain, that door has opened.

Tolle has earned this moment at every level. His spring training ERA sat at 2.53 across 10 2/3 innings. In three Triple-A starts this season he has struck out 19 batters across 15 innings, posting a 3.00 ERA. The 6.06 ERA from his MLB debut last season across seven outings reflects a pitcher still finding his footing at the highest level. What he has added since then is the difference.

“Another thing that’s nice, is having the sinker being a third pitch that can be thrown in zone, instead of just the fastball and slider/cutter from last year,” Tolle said.

The changeup has sharpened too. He arrives Thursday as a more complete pitcher than the one who debuted last season.

“We know that big league Payton has to have those pitches, and the way that they’ve been going right now, I feel like just getting more feel for them. I feel like I’ve shown it in the past two games of getting the changeups in zone and it really giving hitters trouble.”

The Bigger Picture for the Red Sox

Thursday is not just about one start. It is about whether the Red Sox can arrest a slide that has defined their first month.

The offense has been the primary concern. Boston has been held to two runs or fewer in ten of their first 24 games. The pitching depth has now become a secondary issue, with Gray on the IL, Johan Oviedo out indefinitely with a strained right flexor, and both Patrick Sandoval and Kutter Crawford having their rehab assignments paused.

Eduardo Rivera was fast-tracked from Double-A all the way to the majors this week to provide bullpen coverage, skipping Triple-A entirely. He impressed in his debut, pitching 3.1 innings for 1 hit, 26 strikes and 3 strikeouts.

Avoiding a sweep on Thursday matters for the standings. Boston sits at 9-15, trailing in the AL East. Losses to the Yankees at home cut deeper than most. Tolle gets his chance to stop the bleeding.

GettyBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 22: Eduardo Rivera #99 of the Boston Red Sox pitches during his MLB debut in the sixth inning against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park on April 22, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images)

Final Word for the Red Sox

Tolle waited all spring for this opportunity. Thursday it arrives, against the Yankees, with a sweep on the line.

The sinker is new. The changeup is sharper. Cora is handing him the ball in one of the biggest games of Boston’s young season.

It is not going to get easier. Tolle knows that. He is ready anyway.