The Red Sox placed left-handed starter Connelly Early on the 15-day injured list on Wednesday morning.
BOSTON -- Boston Red Sox' rookie starter Connelly Early departed Tuesday night's start after just four innings thanks to left elbow discomfort. Ahead of Wednesday afternoon's loss to the Washington Nationals, the 24-year-old southpaw was placed on the 15-day injured list as a result of the injury. However, after the loss, interim manager Chad Tracy shared good news about the imaging results for Early's elbow.
"Posterior elbow inflammation, that was kind of the area that he was complaining about last night, so we got some good news there," Tracy told reporters after the loss. "We'll still wait to see next steps... but hopefully we can get him back up throwing soon," he continued.
Early has been a mainstay of the Boston rotation since making his major league debut on Sept. 9, 2025, getting the start in the win-or-go-home game three of the Red Sox' wild card series against the Yankees.
Jun 30, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Starter Boston Red Sox pitcher Connelly Early (71) throws in the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Fenway Park. Jaiden Tripi-Imagn ImagesIt has been an up-and-down 2026 season for the 24-year-old though, as he has struggled with both command and the home run ball through his first 17 starts of the season. In 91.2 innings, Early has allowed 1.47 home runs per nine innings, the 11th-highest mark among all qualified major league starters, while walking 3.34 batters per nine innings, the 16th-highest mark in the sport.
Early's struggles came to a head in the Red Sox' 6-4 loss to the Texas Rangers on Sunday Night Baseball on June 14, where the rookie allowed six earned runs on 11 hits, both career highs.
Still, though, Early has outperformed his expected numbers, posting a 3.44 ERA in his first 17 starts of the season. The earliest he can return from the injured list is July 16, which is the final day of the All-Star break.
In other Red Sox news
The Red Sox have three representatives in the July update to Baseball America's top 100 prospects list. Shortstop Franklin Arias is the highest rated prospect in the Boston system, checking in at No. 3. The 20-year-old shortstop is joined by a pair of right-handed pitchers from the Red Sox 2025 draft class, Anthony Eyanson (No. 33) and Kyson Witherspoon (No. 94). Both Arias and Eyanson will represent the Red Sox organization in the Futures Game, which kicks off MLB's All-Star week in Philadelphia on Sunday, July 12.
The Red Sox fell to the Nationals 10-2 on Wednesday afternoon to cap off a 5-2 homestand against both Washington and the New York Yankees. Boston will be off on Thursday before kicking off a nine-game road trip leading into the All-Star Break, which gets underway on Friday night in Anaheim. Jake Bennett (2-3, 3.27 ERA) will get the start for the Red Sox, while the Angels have yet to name a starter. First pitch from Angel Stadium set for 9:38 p.m. ET.
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