Payton Tolle, just 13 months removed from being drafted out of TCU, will make his major league debut Friday night when the Red Sox return for the start of a six-game homestand, MassLive.com confirmed.

Tolle is considered the team’s No. 1 pitching prospect and some have elevated him to the organization’s top prospect regardless of position.

Making matters even more interesting is that Tolle will be matched Friday against baseball’s top young pitcher, Pittsburgh Pirates’ ace Paul Skenes, currently the favorite for the NL Cy Young Award.

Tolle is, for now, taking the spot of Walker Buehler, who was last week transferred from the rotation to the bullpen after poor performances as a starter.

Earlier in the week, with the Red Sox seemingly in need of a starter for Saturday, it had been an

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