Nationals' Executive Still Optimistic on Connelly Early

The weeks since the trade deadline have allowed the Washington Nationals to begin turning to several new pieces in bigger roles whether it be reliever Yovanny Cruz, starting pitching prospect Jackson Kent or rising first baseman Abimelec Ortiz. One piece that fans have yet to see is left handed pitcher Connelly Early, who proved to be the first midseason acquisition for president of baseball operations Paul Toboni in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline. When the left handed pitcher will make his debut remains unclear.

Toboni said earlier this week that the team remains optimistic about Early's status while adding there is not "anything structurally wrong or bothering him big time."

Early followed through on his scheduled rehab outing on Aug. 3 before expressing forearm tightness, leading the Nationals to "play it safe" and pause his scheduled recovery program through the rest of the month. Toboni admitted Early's progress will be dictated by how the newest Nationals' pitcher feels in the weeks ahead with no clear timeframe for a potential debut. Manager Blake Butera included Early in his batch of injury updates announced pregame on Friday after noting the newest pitcher played catch at the team's training facility down in West Palm Beach earlier in the week as DJ Herz and Josiah Gray also return to form.

Early last appeared in a game back on June 30 after arriving in Washington with a 7-5 record, 3.44 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in his first full season in the majors. The concern is not as much about whether Early ultimately pitches again this season to make the Nationals more competitive, but rather whether this marks the start of his injury problems at the start of his career.

Whether that debut ultimately materializes in 2026 is the growing question given the 24 year old lefty arrives as a key piece of the rotation in 2027 and beyond. While the Nationals are currently expected to return Cade Cavalli next season, what other moves and attention the starting pitching gets will be arguably the biggest question mark for the front office to answer once the offseason officially begins.

The news also comes as the Nationals inch one game closer to setting the MLB record for blown saves in a regular season after Saturday afternoon's ninth inning debacle marked the 32nd of the season, now just five away from tying and six from setting with still 36 regular games remaining.