Connelly Early may wind up starting the season in Triple-A, but the Red Sox rookie has made a strong case that he deserves a spot on the Opening Day roster.

Wednesday was one of his best outings yet.

Early struck out seven over five scoreless innings in Wednesday’s 1-0 loss to the New York Yankees. The left-hander allowed only one hit and two walks while throwing 75 pitches, 46 for strikes, with 11 whiffs.

His fastball also averaged 94.8 mph, and his curveball was particularly effective, drawing three whiffs on five swings while producing three of the seven punch outs.

Early retired the first eight men he faced and worked around a walk in the third before finally running into trouble in the fourth. The rookie allowed a single, hit a batter, and allowed both to advance to scoring position on a wild pitch with one out.

But from there Early buckled down and got two strikeouts to end the inning, and it was smooth sailing from there. He posted a 1-2-3 fifth before coming back out for the sixth, and after issuing a leadoff walk his day was done.

Early now has a 1.59 ERA on the spring through five Grapefruit League appearances. His 17 innings and 16 strikeouts both lead all Red Sox pitchers, and he’s held opposing batters to a .182 average.

Costly error

Giancarlo Stanton’s single off Early in the fourth was the only hit New York recorded the entire game. Rookie left-hander Tyler Samaniego followed Early with two scoreless innings and four strikeouts, but while Tyler Uberstine held the Yankees without a hit in the eighth, he allowed two walks, which wound up proving costly.

The Yankees scored the game’s only run on a throwing error by catcher Ronald Rosario, allowing Kenedy Corona to score. The Red Sox collectively tallied seven hits, but went 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position.

Catcher Jason Delay went 3 for 3, leading a lineup that did not include any players likely to make the Opening Day roster.

Cole returns

Wednesday marked Yankees ace Gerrit Cole’s first in-game appearance since undergoing Tommy John surgery in early 2025.

Cole threw one scoreless inning, allowing a pair of singles with no walks and no strikeouts. He gave up a bunt single to Braiden Ward to start the game, drew a Kristian Campbell fly out and allowed a Jason Delay single before forcing Nathan Hickey to ground out to end the inning.

Cole’s fastball averaged 97.1 mph, and the 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner is expected to continue his ramp up steadily over the coming weeks before rejoining the Yankees rotation in late May or early June.

Coming up next

Recently signed left-hander Danny Coulombe is scheduled to make his Red Sox debut on Wednesday when the club hosts the Minnesota Twins at JetBlue Park. Brayan Bello is expected to get the start, and Coulombe is among a handful of relievers in line to pitch, along with Aroldis Chapman and Justin Slaten. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.