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Nationals' Connelly Early: Impressive in short Nats debut
Rotowire
Early didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's 7-1 loss to the Mets, allowing just one hit over three scoreless innings. He struck out one without walking a batter.
Making his first appearance as a National after being acquired from the Red Sox in late July for Curtis Mead (wrist), Early was on a strict pitch count after recovering from elbow inflammation that had kept him on the shelf since June 30. The 24-year-old southpaw made the most of his limited workload, firing 21 of 34 pitches for strikes and facing just one batter over the minimum. Early wraps up his season with a 3.33 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 94:34 K:BB through 94.2 innings, and with a healthy offseason he'll head into 2027 as one of the top arms in the Washington rotation alongside Cade Cavalli.
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Nationals' Connelly Early: Activated for start
Rotowire
The Nationals reinstated Early (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Saturday.
Out since July 1 with left elbow inflammation, Early has since been traded from Boston to Washington and will be making his debut with the Nationals on Saturday. The left-hander pitched just 2.2 innings over the course of two rehab outings and is expected to throw roughly 2-to-3 innings Saturday before handing the ball to Jake Irvin for bulk-relief work. Luis Perales was optioned to Triple-A to make room on the active roster for Early, and Chase Hampton was DFA'd to clear a 40-man spot.
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Nationals' Connelly Early: Making Nationals debut Saturday
Rotowire
Early (elbow) will be activated from the 60-day injured list and make his Nationals debut with a start Saturday versus the Mets, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
Early is scheduled to throw 2-to-3 innings before handing things over to Jake Irvin, who will serve in a bulk relief role. The left-handed Early was acquired from the Red Sox at the trade deadline while recovering from left elbow inflammation, an injury that's kept him from appearing in the majors since late June. Early made two rehab starts, logging a total of 2.2 innings while allowing six runs (three earned) with a 4:5 K:BB.
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Nationals' Connelly Early: Set to join Washington for final series
Rotowire
Early (elbow) is expected to be activated from the 60-day injured list to make his Nationals debut at some point during this weekend's series versus the Mets, MLB.com reports.
Acquired from the Red Sox back on July 26, Early finally appears ready to join the Nationals following a lengthy recovery from left elbow inflammation. He made his second and final rehab appearance this past Sunday at Triple-A Rochester, yielding three unearned runs over 1.2 innings while tossing 40 pitches. Since Early isn't stretched out enough to handle a traditional starting role, the Nationals could look to have him piggyback either Jake Irvin or DJ Herz, who will start Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
Nationals president of baseball operations Paul Toboni said Wednesday that Early (elbow) is tentatively scheduled to make his team debut Sept. 26 against the Mets, Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic reports.
Early made his first rehab appearance with Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday, allowing three runs and throwing 35 pitches in one inning. The southpaw is scheduled to throw again Sunday -- presumably at Rochester -- before making his Nationals debut on the penultimate day of the regular season. Acquired at the trade deadline from the Red Sox, Early has missed the better part of three months with left elbow inflammation.
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Nationals' Connelly Early: Labors through first rehab start
Rotowire
Early (elbow) was charged with three runs on two hits and two walks over one inning in his first rehab start with Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday.
Making his first appearance since late June, Early showed considerable rust in needing 35 pitches to get through his lone inning of work. He averaged 93 mph with his four-seamer in the outing, which is one mph less than his average for the season. As long as Early recovers well from the start, he could make his Nationals debut next week. It would be an abbreviated outing but could offer the southpaw some peace of mind with his health heading into the offseason. Early missed nearly three months with left elbow inflammation.
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Nationals' Connelly Early: Likely to make first rehab start Tuesday
Rotowire
Early (elbow) is expected to begin his rehab assignment Tuesday with Triple-A Rochester, Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic reports.
Early had been scheduled to kick off his rehab assignment and make his organizational debut Sunday with Double-A Harrisburg, but the affiliate's game was rained out that day. The Nationals will now look to have Early report to their Triple-A affiliate to continue building on his workload, after he tossed 30 pitches in a bridge league game one week earlier. After his upcoming rehab start, the Nationals could elect to bring Early back from the 60-day injured list for his next outing, though he likely wouldn't be stretched out enough to handle a traditional starting role.
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Nationals' Connelly Early: Next outing could come at Double-A
Rotowire
Early (elbow) is tentatively slated to make a rehab start for Double-A Harrisburg on Sunday, MLB.com reports.
The southpaw threw 30 pitches in a bridge league game Tuesday, so he could be ready to handle around 40-to-50 during his upcoming appearance with Harrisburg. Early has yet to make his Nationals debut after being acquired from the Red Sox in July, but he may be able to join the big-league club before the end of the season if all goes well Sunday. Over 17 starts for Boston prior to being shut down with elbow inflammation, Early delivered a 3.44 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 93:34 K:BB through 91.2 innings.
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Nationals' Connelly Early: Throwing in bridge game Tuesday
Rotowire
Early (elbow) will make an appearance in a bridge game Tuesday at the Nationals' spring training complex in Florida, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
Though it will not go down as an official appearance, Early will be pitching in a game for the first time since he went down with left elbow inflammation in early July. It's unclear how many pitches Early is scheduled to throw Tuesday, but he will likely require at least one additional rehab start before joining the big-league rotation. Early was acquired from the Red Sox at the trade deadline and will be making his Nationals debut when he gets into a game.
Nationals manager Blake Butera said Friday that Early (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment Sept. 8, Kyle Williams of TheBanner.com reports.
Early threw a bullpen session Friday, a continuance of his throwing program as he progresses in his recovery from left elbow inflammation and forearm tightness. He'll embark on a rehab assignment in early September, so there's still a chance that the 24-year-old southpaw will pitch in the majors before the end of the 2026 season.
Early (elbow) threw a 25-pitch bullpen session Saturday, Danielle Allentuck of The Washington Post reports.
Early encountered a setback in early August when he experienced minor left forearm tightness during a live batting practice session. The left-hander has now resumed mound work as he looks to join the Nationals rotation sometime in September. Early hasn't pitched in a game since late June, when he was still a member of the Red Sox before he was traded to the Nationals on July 26.
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Nationals' Connelly Early: Moves to 60-day IL
Rotowire
The Nationals transferred Early (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Saturday.
Early has been on the injured list since the beginning of July with elbow inflammation and isn't expected to return until September after suffering a setback in early August, so his move to the 60-day IL won't affect his return timeline. He'll give up his spot on the 40-man roster to Matt Waldron, who was claimed off waivers from Toronto on Saturday.
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Nationals' Connelly Early: Throwing program paused
Rotowire
The Nationals paused Early's (elbow) throwing program Thursday after he felt forearm tightness during his latest live BP session, Danielle Allentuck of The Washington Post reports.
Early has been sidelined by elbow inflammation since the beginning of July. He was aiming to return from the IL to make his Nationals debut sometime in late August, but the latest setback is likely to extend his time on the shelf. Manager Blake Butera noted that the left-hander's forearm issue isn't too concerning, per Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com, but the team is still going to be "ultra cautious" with Early going forward and give him some time off to rest before reevaluating and determining next steps.
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Nationals' Connelly Early: Not being sent for imaging
Rotowire
Early (elbow) will not be sent for an MRI after he felt some minor forearm tightness during a live batting practice session Tuesday, Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic reports.
Manager Blake Butera indicated the organization wasn't overly concerned about Early's health, but the setback might have been the only excuse the Nationals needed to rule the southpaw out from pitching in the majors again this season. Acquired in the Curtis Mead (wrist) deal, Early had a 3.44 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 93:34 K:BB through 91.2 innings for the Red Sox earlier this year. He last saw game action June 30 before landing on the IL with elbow inflammation.
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