Red Sox's Connelly Early, Payton Tolle May Have Last-Minute Lifeline

Destined to start in the minors? Maybe not so...

Pitchers Payton Tolle (left) and Connelly Early (second from left) stand for the national anthem ahead of Triple-A Worcester's game at Polar Park on Aug. 21, 2025. | WooSox Photo/Ashley Green / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It seemed for weeks as though Connelly Early and Payton Tolle were out of the picture for opening day.

The Boston Red Sox made several bold moves to upgrade the rotation this winter, bringing in Sonny Gray, Ranger Suárez, and Johan Oviedo via free agency and trades. That seemed to indicate that Tolle and Early, who both made the Red Sox's playoff roster last fall, were ticketed to begin the season in Triple-A.

While that may very well be the case when the roster is finalized early next week, the Red Sox also cracked the door open for one of the two to break camp with the team if certain parameters need to be met. That seems to be down to Suárez's progression after the World Baseball Classic.

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Could Tolle or Early still break camp in Boston?

Mar 4, 2026; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Payton Tolle (70) pitches against the New York Yankees in the sixth inning at JetBlue Park at Fenway South. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Friday that the rotation has not yet been finalized, and that Suárez and fellow WBC participant Brayan Bello would make their season debuts in the second series of the year against the Houston Astros.

If the Red Sox feel they need an extra multi-inning reliever to help navigate potential short starts from Bello or Suárez, Early or Tolle could be a last-minute addition to the rotation, enabling someone like Oviedo to kick to that safety valve job.

“We’re talking about a few things, different scenarios,” Cora said, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive. “There’s conversations. I can tell you that. Conversations, but nothing 100%.

"We have to think about the ‘now’ of the team and the future of the organization. If you cut some people short, you’re going to pay the price. We have to make sure whatever decision we make is based on what we need early in the season and then for the rest of the season.”

As for which of the two might earn that spot, Early has looked more polished at every turn since the two made their respective major league debuts late last season, and has performed slightly better this spring based on the numbers. He also needs slightly less time in Triple-A this year than Tolle if both are to remain under team control for an extra season.