FORT MYERS, Fla. — Connelly Early will open the season in the Red Sox rotation.
The lefthander built upon his impressive 2025 debut with an excellent spring, posting a 1.59 ERA with a 7 percent walk rate and 24 percent strikeout rate in 17 innings. That performance, atop Early’s strong performance in the big leagues at the end of last year — four regular-season starts with a 2.33 ERA and 37 percent strikeout rate, followed by a composed start in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series against the Yankees — convinced the Sox to begin the year with the 23-year-old in the rotation.
Early is scheduled to start the third game of the season against the Reds.
“Stuff-wise, he’s really good,” said manager Alex Cora. “I think he’s up to challenge, he slows down the moments, and he’s getting better.”
With Early in the rotation, Johan Oviedo will begin the year as a multi-innings reliever. Lefthander Ranger Suarez is still building his pitch count after limited usage in the World Baseball Classic, so the Sox wanted Oviedo as a potential piggyback starter to pair with Suarez through the first two turns of the rotation. The club will reassess the need for a piggyback starter at that point.
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Though lefthander Payton Tolle showed flashes of dominance at times this spring, the Sox elected not to keep him in the bullpen to being the year.
“Can’t have both [Tolle and Early] in the big leagues. That’s the way we saw it,” said Cora. “We’re here to win a lot of games in April, but we’re here to win a lot of games over 162. It doesn’t make sense roster-wise to carry both of them. Just felt like Early kind of earned that spot. Tolle did everything that we asked him to do. There’s still some development, and he’ll do that. We added some pitches throughout camp and the offseason, and he’s going to keep improving down there, and at one point, without making promises, I believe he’s going to contribute at this level. But it’s not right now.”
Cora said lefthander Jovani Morán made the team, and fellow lefty Danny Coulombe — who is staying at Fenway South to pitch in a minor league game Wednesday — is also expected in Cincinnati barring any setback. The Sox bullpen is thus lefthander Aroldis Chapman and righthander Garrett Whitlock at the end of games, righties Greg Weissert and Justin Slaten in front of them, with Oviedo and Rule 5 draft pick Ryan Watson, also a righty, as long relievers and Morán and Coulombe as available lefties.
Alex Speier can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @alexspeier.
