Connelly Early will start 2026 in the Red Sox rotation: With the start of the MLB season now only days away for the Red Sox, the team’s roster is taking shape. For the pitching staff, it means decisions about who will be in the starting rotation.
One name Boston fans have kept an eye on since his promising debut in 2025 is 23-year-old left-hander Connelly Early. The 2023 fifth-round draft pick struck out 11 batters in his first MLB start last September in just five innings (allowing no runs). It tied a Red Sox record for strikeouts in a rookie debut set originally by Don Aase in 1977.