Red Sox's Surprise Connelly Early Decision Explained

The Boston Red Sox made a somewhat surprising decision on Monday as they opted to carry young flamethrower Connelly Early on the big league roster to kick off the 2026 season.

Boston announced on X that Zack Kelly, Tyler Uberstine and Payton Tolle were being optioned down to the minors on Monday. The Red Sox also announced that Tommy Kahnle was heading to the minors as well after joining the club late. When the Red Sox made the announcement, the fact that Early ignited the conversation and excitement about the idea of Early making the team out of camp.

MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo confirmed that Early — and Johan Oviedo — made the club out of camp. While roles aren't fully sorted out, Cotillo reported that the Red Sox view Early as a starter and that part of the reason why Boston opted to keep him on the big league roster — aside from his great Spring Training performance, of course — was because Ranger Suárez and Brayan Bello are still building up after leaving for the World Baseball Classic.

The Red Sox made an intriguing decision

Oct 2, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Connelly Early (71) stands on the mound in the first inning against the New York Yankees during game three of the Wildcard round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

"The Red Sox view Early as a starter and it remains unlikely he’s used as a reliever during the first few weeks of the season," Cotillo wrote. "The Red Sox plan to start Garrett Crochet (Thursday) and Sonny Gray (Saturday) in the first two games of the regular season but have not yet announced a starter for Sunday in Cincinnati. According to manager Alex Cora, Boston plans to start Suárez next Monday in Houston with Bello making his season debut the following day. Exact plans for Early and Oviedo are still being ironed out. ...

"With Suárez and Bello a bit behind other pitchers due to their WBC responsibilities, the Red Sox began considering carrying two rotation candidates in an effort to protect the staff in the early-goings."

Early arguably earned the job. He logged a 1.59 ERA in five total appearances in camp across 17 innings of work. He gave the Red Sox something to think about each time he took the mound and ultimately earned the job. Again, the exact roles aren't sorted out, at least publicly, as of writing. But the competition now will reach another level. Oviedo and Early were both in the mix for roster spots throughout camp and both are now on the big league roster. Will both end up sticking around in the majors throughout the entire season? That will be dictated by performance.