Inside The Red Sox

Red Sox Could Promote No. 6 Prospect For Athletics Series Finale: Report

So many debuts this season... what's one more?
Jackson Roberts|
Jun 18, 2023; Omaha, NE, USA; Virginia Cavaliers pitcher Connelly Early (20) throws against the TCU Horned Frogs in the second inning at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images
Jun 18, 2023; Omaha, NE, USA; Virginia Cavaliers pitcher Connelly Early (20) throws against the TCU Horned Frogs in the second inning at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox have been as aggressive as any team in promoting their top prospects to the majors this season, and now, they're doing it out of necessity.

Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, and Kristian Campbell all came to the majors because they seemed to be ready at that point in their development. But Jhostynxon Garcia and Payton Tolle debuted because the Red Sox needed them to fill a hole, and that may happen once more with the team's top Triple-A pitching prospect.

Connelly Early, the Red Sox's 2023 fifth-round pick out of Virginia, has had a fantastic season, earning himself a promotion from Double-A to Triple-A at the end of July. He was scratched from his scheduled start on Sunday, an alarm bell that he could be in the mix to make his major league debut this week.

Connelly Early could start on Wednesday

The Red Sox don't have a starter named for their Wednesday series finale at Sutter Health Park against the Athletics, and according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive, Early, the team's No. 6 prospect, is "very much in the mix" to make that start, alongside fellow Triple-A lefty Kyle Harrison.

“They’re probably dealing with stuff up there and they said they just don’t want him to pitch and end up throwing a full game,” Worcester manager Chad Tracy said, per Katie Morrison-O'Day of MassLive. “And so he’s staying available to them. Very similar to what we’ve done with (Harrison). So nothing imminent at this point, but we couldn’t have him throw.”

Boston has been unable to get by with a normal five-man rotation for the past two weeks because Tolle, the No. 2 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, has never thrown on less than six days' rest as a professional, and would have had to go on four days' rest both this past Wednesday and this coming Wednesday.

Early has been great all season, pitching to a 2.60 ERA and striking out 132 batters in 100 1/3 innings. This would be a huge ask, though, having to make his big-league debut in a disproportionate hitters' park in the middle of a pennant race.

More MLB: Red Sox's Starting Pitching Uncertainty Becoming Major Red Flag

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Jackson Roberts
JACKSON ROBERTS

Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Boston Red Sox On SI, please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org

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