The Boston Red Sox announced Wednesday that starting pitcher Connelly Early has been placed on the 15-day injured list, sidelined by inflammation in his left elbow.
Along with Early’s IL placement, the Red Sox made a series of additional roster moves: left-handed pitcher Jovani Moran was activated from the 15-day injured list after recovering from his own elbow inflammation, lefty Alec Gamboa was called up from Triple-A Worcester, and right-hander Tommy Kahnle was designated for assignment.
Early, who is 24 years old, took the mound Tuesday and turned in four innings of work — allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out five — before leaving the game with left shoulder soreness. Boston dropped that contest to the Washington Nationals by a score of 8-1 at home.
Early reflected on the situation after the game. “It’s tough,” he said. “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.”
The first-year pitcher carries a 7-5 record with a 3.44 ERA, 34 walks, and 93 strikeouts across 91 2/3 innings this season. He was scheduled to undergo an MRI on Wednesday to assess how serious the injury is.
Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy addressed the decision Wednesday, explaining why the team wasn’t willing to push Early through the discomfort. “Yeah, he comes out of the game. There’s soreness,” Tracy said. “He’s feeling better today, but it’s still a little sore. So with one more start remaining prior to the All-Star break — it’s not just the start right, it’s like, (are we really) going to have this guy go out in two days and throw a side? That’s not something we’re going to do with that kid.”
Tracy added that Early had pushed back against being shut down, but the organization made the call for his well-being. “Connelly will tell you that he fought to not have it happen. But between that and having to use as much bullpen as 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.”
Early made his big league debut last September and holds an overall record of 8-7 with a 3.24 ERA, 38 walks, and 122 strikeouts over 21 starts at the major league level. Boston selected him in the fifth round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of the University of Virginia.
As for Kahnle, the 36-year-old right-hander struggled in Tuesday’s loss, surrendering four runs on four hits and a walk in a single inning of work. In his first season with Boston, he finished with a 0-0 record, an 8.00 ERA, six walks, and five strikeouts across nine innings. Over his entire career, Kahnle is 11-19 with 17 saves and a 3.70 ERA in 464 relief appearances across six different teams dating back to 2014.
Moran, 29, has put together a solid season, going 1-2 with a 3.00 ERA, 15 walks, and 38 strikeouts in 33 innings over 21 appearances, including three starts. For his career, he is 3-5 with one save and a 3.94 ERA in 102 games, having previously pitched for the Minnesota Twins from 2021 to 2023 before joining the Red Sox.
Gamboa, a 29-year-old rookie, made his major league debut with Boston on May 5 and impressed in two appearances, retiring five batters without allowing a hit, run, or walk while striking out three. At Triple-A Worcester this season, he went 2-3 with a 3.21 ERA, eight walks, and 40 strikeouts over 42 innings in 13 outings.
