On Tuesday, the Boston Red Sox made a huge move. The "Foul Territory" podcast announced the promotion of left-handed top pitching prospect Connelly Early to the major leagues. He will make his big league debut on Tuesday against the A's.
About two hours later, Tommy Cassell of the Worcester Times & Gazette reported that left-handed pitcher Kyle Harrison will follow Early to Sacramento, where he'll be in the mix to potentially start on Wednesday.
The move somehow baffles a little while also making complete sense. Harrison has had his ups and downs with Worcester. His numbers have been better over his last nine starts, compared to his first three. However, there are still issues, such as his command, the ability to miss bats, and whether he has a true second pitch yet.
The Red Sox are in pretty desperate need of pitching, though. They were already thin before the Dustin May injury (which led to Early being promoted). Harrison has been a legitimate option for a few weeks now. It was speculated that he was going to make his Boston debut last week, before tweaking his ankle. Between injuries and being kept ready in case he was needed, Harrison has only thrown four innings over the last 20 days.
Kyle Harrison follows top pitching prospect Connelly Early to Sacramento for Red Sox debut
Kyle Harrison is headed to Sacramento to join the Boston Red Sox.
— Tommy Cassell (@tommycassell44) September 9, 2025
A week after the lefty pitcher was supposed to make his Sox debut, before an ankle injury popped up, I'm told Harrison is expected to be available for Boston on Wednesday in their series finale against Oakland. pic.twitter.com/Vxob9dHGzp
The left-handed pitcher holds a 3.75 ERA, .266 BAA, and 1.59 WHIP in 12 starts for Worcester. He has 50 strikeouts compared to 27 walks in 50 1/3 innings. While the numbers aren’t terrible, they don’t instill a lot of confidence in some Red Sox fans. That, along with his extremely limited use as of late, might have some fans feeling apprehensive.
The added twist of Early being announced as a promotion right before Harrison might have many wondering about the organization’s confidence in him. They were likely figured out at the same time, and the announcements just came a little bit apart.
Harrison will always have the stigma of being part of a return for Rafael Devers that has severely underperformed so far. That means everything Harrison does is going to be put under a microscope.
He is a 24-year-old lefty with some success in the majors, a great pedigree as a prospect, and a strong fastball. There are still plenty of reasons to be optimistic. The Red Sox are in serious need of some arms, and despite how some feel about him, Harrison has as good a chance as anyone to succeed at a high level.