Red Sox's Connelly Early: Strikes out six in no-decision
Rotowire
Early did not factor into the decision in Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Reds, allowing one run on five hits and two walks with six strikeouts over 5.1 innings.
Early exited with a 2-0 lead and a runner on first in the sixth inning before Greg Weissert came on and allowed a three-run homer. The 23-year-old generated just seven swinging strikes in an otherwise solid debut, and it was encouraging to see manager Alex Cora let him reach 96 pitches. The southpaw posted a 2.33 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 29:4 K:BB across 19.2 regular-season major-league innings last season and lines up for a home matchup against the Padres next weekend.
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Red Sox's Connelly Early: Wins spot in Boston rotation
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Early will open the season in the Boston rotation, garnering his first start Sunday in Cincinnati, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Johan Oviedo also made the Opening Day roster but will open the season in the bullpen as a possible piggyback option. The Red Sox plan to give Early at least a couple turns in the rotation before reassessing their options. Early was stellar in Grapefruit League play, posting a 1.59 ERA and 16:5 K:BB over 17 innings, which came after he held a 2.33 ERA and 29:4 K:BB across 19.1 regular-season frames down the stretch last year. He will have to pitch well to retain a rotation spot over the long haul, but the news is a big boost to Early's fantasy prospects.
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Red Sox's Connelly Early: Makes Opening Day roster
Rotowire
Early has made the Red Sox's Opening Day roster, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Early entered spring training competing with Payton Tolle and Johan Oviedo for the fifth spot in the Red Sox's rotation. Per Cotillo, the Red Sox will carry both Early and Oviedo on the 26-man roster (with Tolle starting the season with Triple-A Worcester) in an effort to provide length early in the season as both Ranger Suarez and Brayan Bello continue to build up after pitching in the World Baseball Classic. Garrett Crochet will serve as Boston's Opening Day starter against Cincinnati while Sonny Gray takes the mound Saturday. With Suarez expected to pitch Monday against Houston and Bello to go Tuesday, there's a chance that Early gets his first start of the season as early as Sunday against the Reds. Early put together a strong spring training, appearing in five Grapefruit League games (four starts) and posting a 1.59 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 16:5 K:BB across 17 innings.
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Red Sox's Connelly Early: Another strong showing
Rotowire
Early allowed one hit and two walks while striking out seven over five scoreless innings in Wednesday's spring start against the Yankees.
The three-way competition for the fifth starter's job rages on, and Early submitted another piece of evidence that he's ready for the job. The left-hander has allowed four runs (three earned) over 17 innings (1.59 ERA) with five walks and 16 strikeouts in the Cactus League. The other contenders have been equally effective. Payton Tolle threw four scoreless innings of relief Tuesday, lowering his spring ERA to 2.53, while Johan Oviedo, perhaps the frontrunner, has matched Early's 1.59 ERA with 13 strikeouts over 9.2 innings. All three pitchers have minor-league options.
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Red Sox's Connelly Early: Strong showing Friday
Rotowire
Early allowed two hits and walked one while striking out four over 3.2 scoreless innings in Friday's spring start against the Tigers.
Early made his second Grapefruit League start and third appearance overall. The left-hander threw 51 pitches (31 strikes) and showcased a fastball that touched 96.2 mph and averaged 94.8, nearly one tick higher than it averaged in 2025. While nominally still in the competition for the final spot in the rotation, Early is expected to open the regular season at Triple-A Worcester. He's allowed two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out eight over 8.1 spring innings.
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Red Sox's Connelly Early: Likely to open season at Triple-A
Rotowire
The Red Sox plan to option Early to Triple-A Worcester to begin the season if Johan Oviedo wins the final rotation spot, as expected, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Oviedo is the clear frontrunner to win the No. 5 spot in the rotation, and Boston has no plans to keep Early in the majors as a member of the bullpen. The left-hander received his first taste of the big leagues last year and pitched well across four regular-season starts with a 2.33 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 29:4 K:BB over 19.1 innings. Early is currently on the outside looking in for a rotation spot since the Red Sox significantly bolstered the unit this winter, but the organization can also get an extra year of service time if he spends 35 days in the minors this season. The top prospect is likely to begin the season in the rotation at Triple-A Worcester but will almost certainly be up with Boston at some point in 2026.
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Red Sox's Connelly Early: Takes loss against Yankees
Rotowire
Early allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and one walk while striking out six over 3.2 innings to take the loss in Thursday's wild-card game against the Yankees.
Early got through three innings with minimal trouble, recording multiple strikeouts in both the second and third frames. However, he got into trouble in his final inning of work, surrendering four hits and a walk to account for all of the runs against him. Early was also hurt by some shaky defense behind him, and he was ultimately outdueled by fellow rookie Cam Schlittler.
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Red Sox's Connelly Early: Strikes out seven in loss
Rotowire
Early (1-2) took the loss Saturday against the Tigers, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk across five innings. He struck out seven.
Early held the Tigers scoreless through four innings before ultimately allowing two runs on Jahmai Jones' two-out single with the bases loaded, which proved to be enough to stick the rookie with the loss in a 2-1 Red Sox defeat. While Early's dropped back-to-back starts to finish the season, the left-hander's impressed overall in his first four big-league outings. He'll finish the year with a 2.33 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 29:4 K:BB across 19.1 innings.
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Red Sox's Connelly Early: Starting on four days' rest Sunday
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Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that Early will start Sunday's series finale in Tampa against the Rays, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.
Early will unsurprisingly stick around in the rotation for a third turn after looking sharp through his first two outings in the majors, both of which came against the Athletics. Between the two starts, the 23-year-old rookie punched out 18 batters and allowed just one earned run on 10 hits and one walk across his first 10.1 big-league innings. The left-hander will have less time than usual to recover ahead of Sunday's start, however; he'll be taking the hill on four days' rest for the first time in the majors and for just the third time all season, including his stints with Triple-A Worcester and Double-A Portland. After Sunday's outing, Early will likely make one final start the following weekend in Detroit as the Red Sox look to lock down an AL wild-card spot.
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Red Sox's Connelly Early: Impresses again Tuesday
Rotowire
Early allowed one run on five hits and no walks while striking out seven in 5.1 innings Tuesday against the Athletics. He did not factor into the decision.
Early was phenomenal again in his second career major-league start, both of which have come against the Athletics. He generated 14 whiffs and was pounding the zone with a 70 percent strike rate on 80 pitches. Early also tied the Red Sox record with 18 strikeouts through his first two career starts. He was pulled for Greg Weissert with a runner on first after pitching into the sixth and Weissert would allow the runner to score on a double, spoiling Early's chances for the win. Early has done enough to continue on in the rotation and lines up for a road start versus the Rays this weekend.
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Red Sox's Connelly Early: Confirmed as Tuesday's starter
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Early will start Tuesday's game against the Athletics at Fenway Park, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.
Early was an obvious choice to remain in Boston's rotation after he struck out 11 over five scoreless frames versus the Athletics in his major-league debut last week. However, the team hadn't confirmed another start for the rookie southpaw until Monday. Following his rematch with the Athletics in Boston after his previous outing came in Sacramento, Early tentatively lines up for another start Sunday on the road versus the Rays.
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Red Sox's Connelly Early: Contract selected
Rotowire
The Red Sox selected Early's contract from Triple-A Worcester ahead of his start Tuesday versus the Athletics.
After posting a 2.60 ERA and 1.11 WHIP across 100.1 innings between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester, Early will be thrust into the MLB rotation as the replacement for Dustin May (elbow). Early, 23, most recently pitched six innings of one-run ball while punching out 10 batters at Worcester, but he'll be challenged in his MLB debut Tuesday while facing an Athletics lineup that's posted an .823 OPS since the beginning of the month.
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Red Sox's Connelly Early: Coming up for MLB debut Tuesday
Rotowire
The Red Sox will call up Early from Triple-A Worcester to start Tuesday's game versus the Athletics in Sacramento, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.
Dustin May had been scheduled for the start but is headed to the 15-day injured list with an undisclosed injury. Early has collected a 2.60 ERA and 132:40 K:BB over 100.1 innings between Double-A Portland and Worcester this season. The left-hander is more of a high-floor than a high-ceiling prospect, and he will be making his MLB debut in a tough environment for pitchers, making him a risky streaming option in fantasy.
