Payton Tolle’s AL Rookie of the Year run ends in third place in a race dominated by Tigers’ Kevin McGonigle

Boston’s left-handed rookie Payton Tolle finished third in the American League Rookie of the Year voting, as Tigers infield prospect Kevin McGonigle won the award with 28 of 30 first-place votes.

Tolle received 12 third-place votes in the final tally. Cleveland’s Parker Messick placed second in the voting, while Chicago’s Munetaka Murakami and Kansas City’s Carter Jensen finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

For Boston, the result still marked a major season-development chapter. The team’s postseason run may have ended with a Wild Card sweep by the Yankees, but the Red Sox won 87 games after being 32-46 on June 24, and Tolle was described as central to that turnaround while remaining in the rotation for the rest of the season after his April call-up.

The league-recognized breakout followed an earlier, limited look in 2025. The Red Sox had used Tolle in a late-season, seven-appearance, three-start cameo, but Boston’s report credited his 2026 leap to improved command of his secondary pitches.

Statistically, Boston’s Tolle compiled a 3.03 ERA over 26 starts, totaling 148 2/3 innings with 171 strikeouts and 40 walks. In those 26 starts, he allowed two earned runs or fewer 16 times, according to the team’s season recap.

The voting result meant Tolle fell short of becoming the first Red Sox rookie pitcher to win AL Rookie of the Year since Dustin Pedroia won in 2007, but MLB noted that Tolle’s impact for the season went well beyond the ballot.