Nationals Pitcher Connelly Early Scheduled for Important Rehab Step
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The saga surrounding injured Washington Nationals pitcher Connelly Early continues.
After he was a marquee in-season addition when the Nationals decided to acquire him from the Boston Red Sox on July 26 in exchange for breakout infielder Curtis Mead, he has yet to debut for the major league ballclub.
That's because he's been trying to come back from an injury. When Washington traded for him, he was on the injured list due to elbow inflammation. And when he was pushing for his return, he dealt with forearm tightness that caused the Nationals to shut him down. There was some serious concern that he might be looking at an extended absence. However, he's been inching closer to making his team debut at some point before the 2026 season ends.
Connelly Early Scheduled to Pitch for Double-A Harrisburg on Sunday
According to the team's injuries and transactions page, the left-hander is scheduled to pitch for Double-A Harrisburg on Sunday. That comes after he made his organizational debut in the Bridge League earlier this week.
Even though the 2026 season is coming to a close in the near future, the fact that Early is expected to throw in Double-A means there is a chance that he could eventually debut for Washington at some point this year before the final game of the season.
That would be a huge win for the Nationals. Early has frontline starter potential, which is something this rotation lacks. He showed his upside with the Red Sox during limited action, as he owns an ERA of 3.24 across 21 career MLB starts. He also possesses high-end stuff with 122 strikeouts to 38 walks over 111 innings pitched, which puts his K rate at 26% -- almost four percentage points above the league average.
Even seeing the 24-year-old take the mound for Washington this season would be a sigh of relief. While there is still a possibility that he does need to get a procedure done this winter after he dealt with elbow and forearm issues, the fact that he'd be healthy enough for even one MLB outing to close out the year would be a great sign.
If Early does make his expected appearance for Harrisburg on Sunday, all eyes will be on how he performs and feels after his outing. If he feels good, then his next appearance could come with Triple-A Rochester. That would then create the possibility that he could pitch for the Nationals at some point in their final series of the season against the New York Mets.
But that's looking way ahead. For now, it's a positive that Early is set to pitch at the Double-A level to reach another important step in his rehab.
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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