After Anthony and Tolle, Red Sox Brace For Another Top Prospect to Explode onto MLB: Report

Just over a week ago, the Red Sox brought up top slugging talent Roman Anthony and pitching prospect Payton Tolle. And it looks like they’re here to stay. But the youth movement isn’t slowing down, because reportedly another lefty could be on his way.

Evidently, the Red Sox have leaned heavily on young arms this year. Hunter Dobbins, Richard Fitts, and Tolle are all stepping in at different points. But with depth still a question mark, the team could be eyeing yet another rookie addition. Now, on Sunday, Triple-A Worcester played a doubleheader, and Connelly Early was originally scheduled to pitch the second game. But he was replaced by Isaac Coffey. The reason for him being pulled off?

“(The Red Sox) wanted him not to pitch, and they’re probably dealing with stuff up there, and they said they just don’t want him to (throw). So he’s staying available.“ Red Sox reporter Tommy Cassell quoted the Worcester manager Chad Tracy.

As per Tracy, Connelly Early, Boston’s No. 6 prospect, was scratched from his start at Triple-A. And that’s probably hint enough for his start on Wednesday. Even though, the name of the started is not announce yet, according to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo, Early is “very much in the mix.” In fact, Tracy had some other details to share, too, citing the reasons for keeping Connelly off.

“And so he’s staying available to them. Very similar to what we’ve done with (Harrison). So nothing imminent at this point, but we couldn’t have him throw.” Connelly Early’s season talks for itself, tbh!

By late July, he weas promoted from Double-A to Triple-A. Right now, he owns a 2.60 ERA with a 10–3 record over 18 starts, piling up 132 SOs in just 100 innings. Hence, he’s clearly someone the Red Sox value highly. In fact, teams asked about him at the trade deadline, and the Red Sox’s decision to hold onto him meant passing on a chance to land Zac Gallen.

Now, even though Early might not be postseason-eligible this year, unless there’s a legit injury in the team, a call-up would give the Red Sox a chance to see if he’s ready for the next step. Whether it’s out of the bullpen or as a spot starter, he could play a role down the stretch as the Red Sox push for the playoffs.

The Red Sox got a similar talent to Tolle

So far this season, Early has made 23 appearances across two levels, piling up strikeouts. Reportedly, he’s fanning nearly a third of the hitters he’s faced (31.9%), though his walk rate sits at 9.7%.

Like Payton Tolle, Early’s a lefty with a good downhill stride that helps his stuff play up. Moreover, his fastball sits around 93.5 mph and can miss some bats, though it’s not quite as overpowering as Tolle’s. Early’s best pitch is the changeup, which features strong arm-side run and vertical drop. It’s his go-to off-speed weapon, generating an impressive 20.7% swinging-strike rate. On top of that, he mixes in a slider, sweeper, curveball, and sinker to keep hitters guessing.

Now, if the Red Sox do call him up, they’d need to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Technically, like Tolle, he doesn’t need to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft until next winter, so adding him now would limit how many other players they can shield this offseason.

And timing could matter. Because the A’s, who the Red Sox face next, are one of the toughest teams against left-handed pitching. Notably, their lineup is posting a 116 wRC+ against southpaws, the fourth-best in MLB. So, it will again be a test of the rookie arms in the Red Sox!