Early allowed two hits and walked one while striking out four over 3.2 scoreless innings in Friday's spring start against the Tigers.

EDGE Analysis

Early made his second Grapefruit League start and third appearance overall. The left-hander threw 51 pitches (31 strikes) and showcased a fastball that touched 96.2 mph and averaged 94.8, nearly one tick higher than it averaged in 2025. While nominally still in the competition for the final spot in the rotation, Early is expected to open the regular season at Triple-A Worcester. He's allowed two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out eight over 8.1 spring innings.

The Red Sox plan to option Early to Triple-A Worcester to begin the season if Johan Oviedo wins the final rotation spot, as expected, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Oviedo is the clear frontrunner to win the No. 5 spot in the rotation, and Boston has no plans to keep Early in the majors as a member of the bullpen. The left-hander received his first taste of the big leagues last year and pitched well across four regular-season starts with a 2.33 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 29:4 K:BB over 19.1 innings. Early is currently on the outside looking in for a rotation spot since the Red Sox significantly bolstered the unit this winter, but the organization can also get an extra year of service time if he spends 35 days in the minors this season. The top prospect is likely to begin the season in the rotation at Triple-A Worcester but will almost certainly be up with Boston at some point in 2026.

Early (0-1) allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and one walk while striking out six to take the loss in Thursday's Wild-Card game against the Yankees.

EDGE Analysis

Early got through three innings with minimal trouble, recording multiple strikeouts in both the second and third frames. However, he got into trouble in his final inning of work, surrendering four hits and a walk to account for all of the runs against him. Early was also hurt by some shaky defense behind him, but he was ultimately outdueled by fellow rookie Cam Schlittler.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Tuesday that Early would likely start a potential Game 3 of the American League Wild Card Series versus the Yankees, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.

EDGE Analysis

Early became the most likely candidate to take the ball in Game 3 after Lucas Giolito (elbow) went down, and Cora has confirmed it will indeed be the lefty, barring something unforeseen. The rookie collected a 2.33 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 29:4 K:BB across 19.1 innings covering four September starts for the Red Sox.

Early (1-2) took the loss Saturday against the Tigers, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk across five innings. He struck out seven.

EDGE Analysis

Early held the Tigers scoreless through four innings before ultimately allowing two runs on Jahmai Jones' two-out single with the bases loaded, which proved to be enough to stick the rookie with the loss in a 2-1 Red Sox defeat. While Early's dropped back-to-back starts, the left-hander's impressed overall in his first four big-league outings. He'll finish the year with a 2.33 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 29:4 K:BB across 19.1 innings.

Early (1-1) allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits and two walks while striking out four over four innings to take the loss Sunday versus the Rays.

EDGE Analysis

With the Red Sox in the thick of the wild-card race and Early pitching on just four days' rest, he likely had a shorter leash in this outing than in his first two starts. He struggled initially, giving up all three runs in the first inning before settling down, but the Boston offense wasn't able to get him off the hook. Early has still maintained a 1.88 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 22:3 K:BB through 14.1 innings over his first three big-league starts. He's projected for one more regular-season outing, which would be at home versus the Tigers.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that Early will start Sunday's series finale in Tampa against the Rays, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.

EDGE Analysis

Early will unsurprisingly stick around in the rotation for a third turn after looking sharp through his first two outings in the majors, both of which came against the Athletics. Between the two starts, the 23-year-old rookie punched out 18 batters and allowed just one earned run on 10 hits and one walk across his first 10.1 big-league innings. The left-hander will have less time than usual to recover ahead of Sunday's start; he'll be taking the hill on four days' rest for the first time in the majors and for just the third time all season, including his stints with Triple-A Worcester and Double-A Portland. After Sunday's outing, Early will likely make one final start the following weekend in Detroit as the Red Sox look to lock down an AL wild-card spot.

Early allowed one run on five hits and no walks while striking out seven in 5.1 innings Tuesday against the Athletics. He did not factor into the decision.

EDGE Analysis

Early was phenomenal again in his second career major-league start, both of which have come against the Athletics. He generated 14 whiffs and was pounding the zone with a 70 percent strike rate on 80 pitches. Early also tied the Red Sox record with 18 strikeouts through his first two career starts. He was pulled for Greg Weissert with a runner on first after pitching into the sixth and Weissert would allow the runner to score on a double, spoiling Early's chances for the win. Early has done enough to continue on in the rotation and lines up for a road start versus the Rays this weekend.