Nationals Reportedly Have Rehab Assignment Date in Mind for Connelly Early
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The Washington Nationals could have some talent return before the end of the season.
James Wood is inching his way back to a return after he suffered an oblique injury and left-handed pitcher DJ Herz continues his progress towards pitching in the bigs again after shining during his second rehab assignment. Getting those two back into the mix would be huge for this team coming down the final stretch of the year. However, there is also another bit of news that should excite Nationals fans.
According to Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic, Washington has a possible date in mind for a rehab assignment for left-handed pitcher Connelly Early.
Nationals Eyeing Rehab Assignment Start for Connelly Early
Per Nusbaum, the Nationals are "targeting" Sept. 8 as the start date for Early's rehab assignment. The initial plan is for that to take place in A ball, with a move up to Double-A coming after that. From there, the hope would be that he'd be able to make his team debut with Washington before the end of the season.
Whether or not that's actually feasible isn't clear. Early was initially placed on the injured list back on July 1 due to elbow inflammation. Then, as he was trying to work his way back from that, he suffered forearm tightness, which caused the Nationals to shut him down.
There is real long-term fear about those issues for the lefty. Elbow inflammation and forearm tightness are often precursors to the dreaded Tommy John or internal brace procedures. However, Washington is confident that he can avoid a severe injury that would require him to get either one of those surgeries.
Part of that confidence stems from the fact that Early is back throwing bullpen sessions. And he's able to go through his entire arsenal of pitches, which is a good sign that he's not limited or feeling pain when he throws a particular pitch.
Will Connelly Early Debut for Nationals This Season?
At the time of writing on Aug. 29, the Nationals only have 25 games remaining in the 2026 campaign. If Early won't even begin his rehab assignment until Sept. 8, then that leaves 15 contests for the rest of the year, which isn't even the true number he'd be available for since it's not clear how long he's going to be pitching in the minors as he works his way back.
Because of that, I don't think he's going to make his team debut this season. I think Washington is more than willing to be patient when it comes to their prized trade acquisition, especially because they want to avoid an long-term injuries that could occur.
I would love to be wrong, though. I think Early has the makings of being a top-of-the-rotation starter for the Nationals for a long time. And getting on the major league mound for his new franchise is an important step to make that happen.
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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