For Tracy, it’s a nod to his work after taking over as interim manager on April 26. The Red Sox were 77-58 under Tracy in the regular season, including a 32-5 summer spurt that propelled the club to a wild-card berth.
Tracy, who was in his fifth season as manager of Triple-A Worcester before being promoted, signed a three-year contract and lost the “interim” title in late September, after the Sox clinched a playoff berth.
His fellow finalists are Kevin Cashwho led the Rays to the best record in the AL, and Will Venablewho guided the White Sox to a playoff berth after three straight 100-loss seasons.
The Red Sox have only had two Manager of the Year winners in the history of the award: Jimmy Williams in 1999 and John McNamara in 1986.
Tracy is the son of Jim Tracywho became National League Coach of the Year in 2009 after taking over as interim manager of the struggling Rockies and leading them to the playoffs.
For Tolle, who probably won’t beat the Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle and Guardians pitcher Parker Messick for honor, it is nevertheless a remarkable achievement.
Tolle opened the season in Triple-A, ousted from a crowded rotation. But when Gray was slightly injured in late April, the Sox called Tolle up for a start against the Yankees, and he never returned. He finished with a 3.03 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 26 starts, striking out 171 batters in 148⅔ innings.
Elsewhere in the evolution of major awards, Walpole native and Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler was officially named a finalist for the AL Cy Young Award. He is a virtual lock to win.
Major awards are decided by the BBWAA, which votes before the start of the playoffs.
The winners will be revealed next week. Rookie of the Year Monday, Manager of the Year Tuesday, Cy Young and Reliever of the Year Wednesday and MVP Thursday.
The Red Sox designated right-hander Zack Kelly and left-handed Eduardo Rivera for the mission Monday, freeing up the last required spots on the 40-man roster.
Kelly and Rivera were among seven players the Sox had to reinstate from the 60-day injured list, which does not exist during the offseason. The others were Kutter Crawford, Johan Oviedo, Justin Slater, Triston CasasAnd Elie White.
Entering free agency, which began Monday at 5 p.m., the Red Sox 40-man roster is complete.
Kelly, 32 next season, pitched parts of five seasons for the Sox, who deployed him primarily as a low- to mid-leverage reliever. He had a 4.04 ERA and 1.31 WHIP in 115 games.
But because Kelly enters 2027 without minor league options, he has become less valuable to the Red Sox, who, like many other clubs, prioritize roster flexibility provided by relievers who can be sent up and brought back from Triple-A.
Rivera, 23, appeared in four games for the Red Sox after initially being called up to the majors without appearing in Triple-A. He had a 6.30 ERA.
Tim Healey can be contacted at timothy.healey@globe.com. Follow him @timbhealey.
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