Red Sox Have Sneaky Trade Opportunity After Connelly Early Injury

How many good outings would it take?

Patrick Sandoval hands the ball to manager Chad Tracy in the fourth inning of his rehab start in Worcester April 8. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Pitching injuries are all too common these days, and the Boston Red Sox sustained an unfortunate one to rookie lefty Connelly Early this week.

After Early left his Tuesday start following the fourth inning, he was quickly placed on the 15-day injured list. Despite the fact that early indications from his MRI were somewhat positive, it's reasonable to expect that he'll return sometime in August at the earliest.

That provides the Red Sox, bummed as they rightfully should be about Early's injury, with an opportunity. We'll soon see if that opportunity bears out, as Early's next turn in the rotation is scheduled to come around on Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox.

Can Red Sox get Patrick Sandoval up to speed, trade him?

Left-handed pitcher Patrick Sandoval makes his first rehab start with Triple-A Worcester on April 8, 2026, after undergoing surgery on his left elbow in 2024. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Patrick Sandoval, who has spent the first year and a half of his two-year Red Sox contract on the injured list, finally looks ready to pitch in the majors again. It hasn't been confirmed that he'll take over Early's spot in the rotation, and the Red Sox have a few more days to figure that out, but he's the most logical candidate.

In a perfect world, Sandoval might get four starts before the trade deadline. Three might be more likely, given the All-Star break and the need to make sure he's not over-extending himself. But in his last rehab start with Triple-A Worcester, he went four innings, so perhaps he could get somewhere between 15 and 20 innings in with the Red Sox in the majors.

If Sandoval looks like a serviceable No. 4 starter, might a team give the Red Sox a half-decent prospect to take him on after the deadline?

The $18.25 million the Red Sox gave Sandoval at the start of last season has proven to be a bad investment. But by the time the trade deadline rolls around, he'll only be owed about $4 million the rest of the way, which a contending team wouldn't balk at paying in a scenario where Sandoval looked like the real deal.

It's something worth hoping for in a time when the Red Sox are reeling. In the next week or so, we'll see if it's realistic.