Nationals New Pitcher Connelly Early Set to Make Organizational Debut
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Back on July 26, the Washington Nationals made a headline-grabbing trade with the Boston Red Sox.
President of baseball operations Paul Toboni decided to send breakout infielder Curtis Mead to his old team. And in turn, he brought back someone who he was deeply familiar with: left-handed pitcher and former top prospect Connelly Early.
This deal was made knowing that Early was on the injured list due to elbow inflammation. But despite that issue, the Nationals were confident that Early would make his team debut at some point before the end of the season.
That has yet to occur, though. When the 24-year-old was working his way back, he experienced forearm tightness, which was a concerning development. Early was then shut down and transferred to the 60-day IL, which created some questions about if he would pitch for Washington at all this season.
Connelly Early Will Pitch in the Bridge League for the Nationals
Per Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic, the Nationals are sending Early to the Bridge League to make his organizational debut on Tuesday. It's not clear what his outing is going to look like from a workload standpoint, but this is a huge step in the right direction.
The Bridge League is where high school draft picks and members of the Florida Complex League play following the conclusion of the FCL season, which ends after the draft. So the Bridge League allows young draft picks and players in the FCL to continue playing if they aren't ready for a move up to the Single-A level.
Early was expected to make his first rehab appearance with Single-A Fredericksburg for their playoff game. However, the decision makers seemed to have changed their mind on that, so the left-hander will instead return in a lower stakes setting.
It goes without saying that getting Early back on the mound this year, regardless of level, is huge. There was real concern that he might not pitch again this season, with the deepest fear being that his elbow inflammation and subsequent forearm tightness would require either the dreaded Tommy John or internal brace procedures. There's a chance he still might be recommended to get surgery at the end of the year, however, Washington has been steadfast in their belief that he is not dealing with something that would require him to undergo one of those operations.
How Early performs on Tuesday is anyone's guess. He's been on the shelf for a long time, and it's unlikely that he is going to be sharp. But the fact that he's healthy enough to pitch in a live game is a huge win, and it leaves the door open for a possible debut with the Nationals before the end of 2026.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai