The Boston Red Sox probably won't get a full sense of their 2026 trade deadline performance this season, despite the positive injury updates on Curtis Mead. The former Washington National will hit off a tee in the coming days — his first offensive progress since he succumbed to a wrist injury during his Red Sox debut — but there's a good chance he doesn't progress fast enough to return this year.
On the other hand, the Nationals will soon get a look at their return from the trade, Connelly Early. The young lefty was on the injured list with elbow inflammation when the Nats traded for him on July 26. He's recently taken some major steps in his rehab.
Washington on September 13 sent Early on a rehab assignment. In one inning with the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings, he allowed three runs on two hits and two walks with two strikeouts.
Nationals President of Baseball Operations (and former Red Sox Assistant General Manager) Paul Toboni confirmed on "The Sports Junkies" show on 106.7 The Fan that Early will make another rehab appearance on September 20 before he makes his DC debut on September 26 against the New York Mets. The season ends on September 28, so Washington will get a look at Early in the major leagues just in time.
Nationals confirm former Red Sox pitcher Connelly Early will make first big league start since trade on September 26
The Nationals were eliminated from playoff contention over the weekend, which could be one reason they're letting Early start. It's already been over two months since the rookie last pitched, but there's no stakes on getting a preview of Early's talent.
Early posted a 3.44 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 93 strikeouts and 34 walks over 91.2 innings with the Red Sox this season. Washington's rotation hasn't looked sharp lately, despite Cade Cavalli's utter dominance since he faced the Red Sox on June 30 (2.27 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 112 strikeouts over his last 15 games). Early will be an upgrade over Jake Irvin (5.51 ERA in 96.1 innings) or rookie Jackson Kent (6.40 ERA in 32.1 innings), who has only pitched a tiny sample size of innings, but they haven't been good.
The Red Sox's rotation could use another arm given Patrick Sandoval and Jake Bennett's recent struggles, but holding onto Early wouldn't have done much for them given his long IL stint during the playoff race. Boston dealt from a position of depth to acquire Mead and it deserves credit for doing so despite the unfortunate circumstances that led to his placement on the IL.
Just in the nick of time, the Nationals will get to see what Early can do on the mound before the season ends. The Red Sox may not get so lucky with Mead, even though their season will continue into October.
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