Connelly

Early

Early scattered one hit and needed just 34 pitches (21 strikes) to complete three frames in his Nationals debut. The -year-old’s velocity was right in line with his pre-injury levels as he averaged 93.8 mph on his four-seam fastball. It was an extremely encouraging display after missing nearly three months with elbow inflammation. The positive news for fantasy managers is that he’ll have a healthy offseason and figures to be locked into a spot in Washington’s rotation entering next season.

Early will make his Nationals debut during their final regular-season series after coming over from the Red Sox in the Curtis Mead deal back at the trade deadline. The 24-year-old southpaw compiled a solid 3.44 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 93/34 K/BB ratio across 91 2/3 innings prior to hitting the injured list with elbow inflammation back in early July. It’s unlikely that he’ll make the leap into an upper-echelon fantasy starter, but he’s going to be an impactful contributor for a long time. He’ll presumably have a spot in Washington’s rotation locked up heading into next spring.

The 24-year-old southpaw made his final minor league rehab start at Triple-A Rochester on Monday where he allowed three unearned runs over 1 2/3 innings of work. He’s unlikely to work deep enough into Saturday’s game to earn a victory, which makes him an unappealing streaming option for fantasy purposes.

Early, making his way back from elbow inflammation, didn’t allow any hits, but he did walk three. He might come off the IL to make his Nationals debut during the final weekend of the season.

It seems unlikely that Early, who threw 35 pitches (23 strikes) in his first rehab outing, will make his Nationals debut during the final week of the season, but the fact that he’ll enter the offseason with a clean bill of health is the best-case scenario. The 24-year-old southpaw came over from the Red Sox in the Curtis Mead trade back in late July. He figures to open next season in Washington’s rotation.

The 24-year-old hurler pitched in a bridge game in Florida on Tuesday as he continues to work his way back from elbow inflammation and forearm tightness. If all goes well with Sunday’s outing, it’s possible that he could be cleared to join the Nationals.

Early is working his way back from elbow inflammation, and forearm tightness that cropped up during his rehabilitation process, which sent him to the injured list when he was still with the Red Sox back in late June. There’s a chance he makes his Nationals debut before the regular season concludes, but his odds of making a fantasy impact are virtually nonexistent. The biggest takeaway here is that Early should have a normal offseason and begin next year in Washington’s rotation.

Early might come off the IL to make an appearance or two at the end of the year. He presumably won’t be fully built up for five- or six-inning starts.

Early’s odds of returning before the end of the season took a major hit when he experienced forearm tightness during a live batting practice session earlier this month. The 24-year-old has been out with posterior elbow inflammation since late June and remains without a clear return timetable following this latest setback. The procedural move opens up a spot on Washington’s 40-man roster to claim starter Matt Waldron off waivers.

Early is working his way back from posterior elbow inflammation, so his now feeling tightness in his forearm is not a great sign. Nationals manager Drew Butera said that the team will be “ultra cautious” with Early and “hit pause” on his throwing program for now before deciding on next steps. With Washington now 5.5 games out of a playoff spot, there’s a good chance we won’t see Early pitch any games for them this season.