Early will make rehab start in early August

Early is scheduled to throw again later this week. Nationals president Paul Toboni told reporters earlier on Monday that Early will begin a minor league rehab assignment in early August. The 24-year-old southpaw was acquired from the Red Sox for Curtis Mead over the weekend. He’s been out with posterior elbow inflammation since late June. He’ll need a couple weeks to build up his pitch count and stamina in the minors before making his Washington debut.

Obviously, there’s nothing at all guaranteed for the Nationals here, but turning Mead, who was acquired after being DFA’d by the White Sox in March, into a pitcher who was universally regarded as a top-75 prospect at the start of the season and who has posted a 3.24 ERA through 21 major league starts, seems like a major win for the organization. There is the huge caveat that Early is currently on the IL with elbow inflammation. Also, his peripherals aren’t as strong as that 3.24 ERA. Still, he projects as a fine middle-of-the-rotation starter for the long haul, even if his recovery from his current elbow issue doesn’t go as hoped. The Red Sox, for what it’s worth, seemed optimistic that he’d be ready to contribute in September. The Nationals, meanwhile, will replace Mead with Brady House. They’ll still probably trade another infielder, too, with Luis García Jr. most likely to go.

Unless Early is damaged goods — and he obviously currently is on the IL with elbow inflammation — this seems like a pretty weak return for the Red Sox. Mead has broken out nicely with a .256/.351/.505 line this year, but not with the kind of exit velocity numbers that suggest he’s going to be an above average regular going forward, especially given his lack of defensive value. The Red Sox figure to use him a lot at DH for now and then mix him at third and first if Roman Anthony gets healthy and the outfield gets overcrowded again. Masataka Yoshida will lose at-bats in Boston. The Nationals will recall Brady House to replace Mead, according to Spencer Nusbaum.

Early increased his flat-ground throwing distance to 90 feet after playing catch from 75 feet on Friday. The 24-year-old lefty hit the injured list with posterior elbow inflammation back on July 1. He’ll ramp up his throwing progression over the next few weeks and should make it back to Boston’s rotation at some point in the second half.

Early had gone for a second opinion on his elbow injury, but it appears that the Red Sox and Early are happy with what they saw. Early has missed about three weeks since being placed on the injured list on July 1 and may require a rehab assignment before he’s ready to return. It’s still great news for the Red Sox that they avoided a major injury here.

Tracy cautioned not to read too much into it and that most pitchers that are dealing with arm-related injuries do head for a second opinion. Early landed on the injured list earlier in the week due to what was termed posterior left elbow inflammation. The Red Sox should have another update on his status in a few days.

It’s an extremely encouraging update based on initial imaging after Early hit the injured list after being removed from Tuesday’s start against the Nationals with elbow discomfort. It doesn’t appear that he’s dealing with any UCL damage or other structural issues, which would’ve resulted in an extended absence. There should be a definitive return timetable at some point in the near future, but it sounds like Early has managed to avoid a worst-case scenario. He’s worth hanging onto in all fantasy formats with the exception of extremely shallow mixed leagues.

This is not a surprise after Early left last night‘s game with elbow discomfort, but it is a sign that the Red Sox don’t envision this is a minor issue. The team is sending the left-hander for additional imaging on Wednesday, and we will wait to see the results of that before making any predictions on his timeline. If you can hold him on your roster until the imaging results are back, that would be preferential. Patrick Sandoval may be an option to take his place in the rotation in the coming weeks.

Not good. Early struck out five over four shutout innings before leaving the contest after just 61 pitches. The hope for the Red Sox, and fantasy managers, is that the decision was out of an abundance of caution. The 24-year-old southpaw will undergo further evaluation, and likely imaging as well, to determine the severity of the issue. It certainly sounds like a trip to the injured list is in play and he’s in jeopardy of missing his next start against the Cubs at Fenway Park on Tuesday. There should be a definitive update on his status at some point later this week.

Early topped his previous season high for strikeouts by one, though he came up two shy of his total from his MLB debut against the A’s last September. It’s his second straight really nice effort after he began the month of June by going 0-3 with a 7.36 ERA. He’s 7-5 with a 3.59 ERA overall, and he’s looking at facing the Nationals next week.