Connelly Early
23-Year-Old
2025 Stats
W-L
1-2
ERA
2.33
WHIP
1.09
K
29
SV
0
2026 Projections
2026 Fantasy Outlook
Early was one of the top lefty starters in the minors at the time of his Sept. 9 promotion to the majors, but he exceeded expectations across four big-league starts and earned a start in the playoffs. He tallied a 2.60 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 22.2 K-BB% and 50.0 GB% in 100.1 innings across Double-A and Triple-A and a 2.33 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 31.6 K-BB% in four big-league starts. A 23-year-old whose 6-foot-3, 195-pound frame is still projectable, Early has a bevy of quality offerings, with his sweeper serving as a devastating put-away pitch against lefties while his curveball and changeup are used to dispatch righties. Additionally, he relies on his 93-mph sinker against lefties and his 94-mph four-seamer against righties, showcasing a versatile repertoire that few seasoned big-league starters can match. Early has never logged a walk rate over 9.8 percent and he is good at suppressing hard contact. He also doesn't have a notable injury history, as he didn't add low-to-mid-90s fastball velocity until after he got into pro ball in 2023. Early may have been underrated in the minor leagues, but he generated a substantial amount of buzz in his first taste of the big leagues and should open 2026 in Boston's rotation. Read Past Outlooks
Signed a one-year contract with the Red Sox in September of 2025.
Likely to open season at Triple-A
The Red Sox plan to option Early to Triple-A Worcester to begin the season if Johan Oviedo wins the final rotation spot, as expected, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Analysis
Oviedo is the clear frontrunner to win the No. 5 spot in the rotation, and Boston has no plans to keep Early in the majors as a member of the bullpen. The left-hander received his first taste of the big leagues last year and pitched well across four regular-season starts with a 2.33 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 29:4 K:BB over 19.1 innings. Early is currently on the outside looking in for a rotation spot since the Red Sox significantly bolstered the unit this winter, but the organization can also get an extra year of service time if he spends 35 days in the minors this season. The top prospect is likely to begin the season in the rotation at Triple-A Worcester but will almost certainly be up with Boston at some point in 2026.
Oviedo is the clear frontrunner to win the No. 5 spot in the rotation, and Boston has no plans to keep Early in the majors as a member of the bullpen. The left-hander received his first taste of the big leagues last year and pitched well across four regular-season starts with a 2.33 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 29:4 K:BB over 19.1 innings. Early is currently on the outside looking in for a rotation spot since the Red Sox significantly bolstered the unit this winter, but the organization can also get an extra year of service time if he spends 35 days in the minors this season. The top prospect is likely to begin the season in the rotation at Triple-A Worcester but will almost certainly be up with Boston at some point in 2026.
Pitching Stats
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2025 MLB Game Log
2025
Minor League Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
80
Last 10 Games
80
Last 5 Games
80
How many pitches does Connelly Early generally throw?
1-10
11-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
71-80
81-90
91-100
101-110
111-120
121+
What part of the game does Connelly Early generally pitch?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2023
-42%
BAA vs LHP
2025
-42%
BAA vs LHP
| BAA | K | BB | H | HR | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2023vs Left | .150 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 0 | |||
| Since 2023vs Right | .259 | 16 | 3 | 14 | 0 | |||
| 2025vs Left | .150 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 0 | |||
| 2025vs Right | .259 | 16 | 3 | 14 | 0 | |||
| 2024vs Left | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2024vs Right | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2023vs Left | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2023vs Right | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | |||||||
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2023
-23%
ERA on Road
2025
-23%
ERA on Road
| ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2023Home | 2.61 | 0.97 | 10.1 | 12.2 | 0.9 | ||||
| Since 2023Away | 2.00 | 1.22 | 9.0 | 15.0 | 3.0 | ||||
| 2025Home | 2.61 | 0.97 | 10.1 | 12.2 | 0.9 | ||||
| 2025Away | 2.00 | 1.22 | 9.0 | 15.0 | 3.0 | ||||
| 2024Home | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2024Away | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2023Home | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2023Away | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | ||||||||
Stat Review
How does Connelly Early compare to other starting pitchers?
This section compares his stats with all starting pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 120 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
K/BB
7.25K/9
13.5BB/9
1.9HR/9
0.0Fastball
93.9 mphERA
2.33WHIP
1.09BABIP
.400GB/FB
1.22Left On Base
71.4%Exit Velocity
83.0 mphBarrels/BBE
2.0%Spin Rate
2066 rpmBalls Hit 95+ MPH
22.8%Swinging Strike
16.7%Prospect Rankings History
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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More Fantasy News
Takes loss against Yankees
Early allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and one walk while striking out six over 3.2 innings to take the loss in Thursday's wild-card game against the Yankees.
Analysis
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Likely to start potential Game 3
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Tuesday that Early would likely start a potential Game 3 of the American League Wild Card Series versus the Yankees, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.
Analysis
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Strikes out seven in loss
Early (1-2) took the loss Saturday against the Tigers, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk across five innings. He struck out seven.
Analysis
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Gets first taste of adversity
Early (1-1) allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits and two walks while striking out four over four innings to take the loss Sunday versus the Rays.
Analysis
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Starting on four days' rest Sunday
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that Early will start Sunday's series finale in Tampa against the Rays, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.
Analysis
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Relief role looking unlikely
Early isn't expected to pitch as a reliever if he doesn't make the rotation out of spring training, according to Sean McAdam of MassLive.com.
Analysis
The Red Sox have only three left-handed relievers on their 40-man roster, and while Early could theoretically pitch in long relief out of the bullpen if he doesn't make the rotation, that's something the Red Sox aren't considering at the moment. Early made his major-league debut in September 2025 and posted a 2.33 ERA across four starts, and 19.1 innings, in the regular season.
The Red Sox have only three left-handed relievers on their 40-man roster, and while Early could theoretically pitch in long relief out of the bullpen if he doesn't make the rotation, that's something the Red Sox aren't considering at the moment. Early made his major-league debut in September 2025 and posted a 2.33 ERA across four starts, and 19.1 innings, in the regular season.