11:05am: Early’s IL placement came before he had gone for imaging, per Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald. She notes that Tracy said Early was already feeling better today, but with just over a week left before the All-Star break, the Sox went the cautious route. They expect to know more later today and will have further updates at that point.
9:30am: The Red Sox placed left-hander Connelly Early on the 15-day injured list due to inflammation in his left elbow, the team announced Wednesday. Boston reinstated lefty reliever Jovani Moran from the 15-day IL in a corresponding move. The Sox also recalled lefty Alec Gamboa from Triple-A Worcester. He’ll fill the 26-man roster spot created by the DFA of veteran reliever Tommy Kahnle.
Early exited last night’s start after only four innings, citing discomfort near the back of his pitching elbow. He was slated to undergo imaging to determine the extent of the injury. The Sox haven’t divulged anything beyond the IL placement, though interim skipper Chad Tracy will surely provide some more details when he meets with the team’s beat prior to this afternoon’s day game against the Nats.
Not much has gone right for the Sox in 2026, but their rotation has managed to be quite productive even with ace Garrett Crochet missing the bulk of the year so far. Early’s emergence has been a key part of that. The 24-year-old lefty has taken the ball 17 times and notched a tidy 3.44 earned run average. In 91 2/3 innings, he’s fanned 23.8% of his opponents against an 8.7% walk rate. Early has held opponents to two or fewer runs in 12 of his 17 starts this season, providing some much-needed consistency while Crochet has been out of commission for two-plus months.
Early’s placement on the injured list could solve one potential roster crunch for the Sox. Veteran Patrick Sandoval is nearing a return after missing more than two calendar years due to UCL surgery. His initial 30-day rehab window is drawing to a close, but the Sox didn’t have much room for him in the rotation with each of Early, Sonny Gray, Ranger Suarez, Payton Tolle and rookie Jake Bennett pitching well. Sandoval can now step into the vacancy created by Early’s absence, kicking the can on any sort of decision down the road a bit. (Sandoval’s recent rehab starts have been watched closely by rival scouts with teams in need of rotation help.)
Sandoval, 29, signed a two-year, $18.5MM contract with the Red Sox in free agency after his 2024 season ended due to UCL surgery. The hope was that the longtime Angels hurler could make it back late in 2025 and be ready for a full-time rotation spot in 2026, but multiple setbacks have slowed that progression. That includes a stalled-out rehab effort earlier this season. The Sox initially put Sandoval in minor league games back in April, but he was tagged for eight runs (five earned) in 5 1/3 innings before reporting pain in his biceps and being pulled from that rehab stint. Following a nearly two-month shutdown, he’s now made five rehab starts and pitched 13 1/3 innings with a 2.70 ERA (four runs on nine hits and five walks with 11 strikeouts).
With the looming All-Star break presenting a natural down period anyhow, perhaps the Sox took advantage of the schedule to play the cautious route with Early’s elbow. Early, Tolle and Bennett all have the makings of long-term rotation cogs, so it’s only natural to be cautious in the event that any of the bunch sees an elbow or shoulder flare up. Early made a brief MLB debut late last season but entered 2026 with his rookie status intact. He’s controllable for five more seasons beyond the current one and wouldn’t even be eligible for arbitration for the first time until at least the 2028-29 offseason.
