Red Sox Lose Connelly Early to the IL, But There's Hope for Boston

The Boston Red Sox lefty will miss some time after suffering an elbow injury against the Washington Nationals.

Jun 14, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Connelly Early (71) pitches during the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Boston Red Sox are going to be short another key starter for at least the next two weeks.

On Tuesday, Red Sox lefty Connelly Early was forced to exit Boston's contest against the Washington Nationals after dominating across four innings of work. It was shared shortly afterward that the reason why Early had to exit was due to "left elbow discomfort" and that he would undergo further testing. On Wednesday morning, the Red Sox announced that Early is being placed on the 15-Day Injured List due to left elbow inflammation. On top of this, the Red Sox announced that Jovani Morán has been activated off the 15-Day Injured List and Alec Gamboa has been promoted from Triple-A to the big league club.

Connelly Early Lands On The IL

Jun 30, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Starter Boston Red Sox pitcher Connelly Early (71) throws in the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Jaiden Tripi-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The #RedSox today announced the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/ym7n1N5Xtf

— Red Sox (@RedSox) July 1, 2026

On the bright side, Early spoke to the media on Tuesday night and shared that he was "not too concerned" about the elbow injury.

"I'm personally not too concerned, as of right now," Early said on Tuesday night. "We'll see [Wednesday] with imaging. Just kind of trying to figure out based on the imaging what to do from there. It's tough. I thought I was throwing the ball really well. I felt really good going into the game, so just a little unfortunate thing that happened there."

Connelly Early "not too concerned" after exiting tonight's game with elbow discomfort 🎙️

presented by @WBMasonCo 🤝 pic.twitter.com/7LT0aZBN7T

— NESN (@NESN) July 1, 2026

When it comes to a pitcher, obviously any time an elbow is mentioned, it's concerning. While this is the case, Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy's update on Wednesday gave a bit of optimism.

Connelly Early Update

Jun 25, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Connelly Early (71) throws a pitch against the New York Yankees in the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"He’s feeling a little better today but it’s still sore, with one more start remaining prior to the All-Star break,” Tracy said, as transcribed by MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo. “It’s not just the start. Like, we’re going to have this guy go out in two days and throw a side [session]? That’s not something we’re gonna do with that kid. ...

“Connelly will tell you he fought to not have it happen but between that and having to use as much bullpen we did and some of the moves we had to make to make sure we got arms, that’s an easy decision to make sure you take that out of his hands and do right by him.”

The fact that the All-Star break is approaching is an interesting variable here. The Red Sox's last game before the break is on July 12 against the New York Mets. Then, the Red Sox won't play again until July 17 when they have a doubleheader against the Tampa Bay Rays.

It's important to note that Patrick Sandoval is nearing his big return to the majors and could slide right into Early's spot in the rotation while he's on the Injured List. It's good to hear Tracy talk about Early in the sense that he "fought" not to be placed on the Injured List. If he's feeling better to the point where he didn't want to land on the Injured List, hopefully that's a sign that his IL stint won't be much longer than the 15-day minimum.

Early will be eligible to come off the Injured List on July 16, one day before Boston returns to action after the All-Star break. If he could be activated right around then, the Red Sox will be just fine.

Throughout the 2026 season, the Red Sox have been bitten by the injury bug all season. With that being said, there have been a rollercoaster of updates throughout the campaign. For example, Boston hoped neither Roman Anthony nor Garrett Crochet would miss significant time and despite all of the various updates, they have both been out for about two months. So, it's hard to have optimism, but the update from Tracy about Early was somewhat positive.