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Red Sox's Connelly Early Earns Compliment From Alex Cora After Winning Starting Spot originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Boston Red Sox have decided to start Connelly Early over Johan Oviedo in the series finale against the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday.
Early ended up earning a spot on the roster because the Red Sox needed some length options, thanks to Ranger Suarez and Brayan Bellon not being completely built up. Whether that length option out of the bullpen was Early or Oviedo was up in the air until Tuesday, when it was revealed that Early would start after Garrett Crochet and Sonny Gray in Games 1 and 2.
Early had a much better spring than Oviedo and earned the job. However, according to MassLive's Chris Cotillo, the Red Sox will "re-assess" after a couple of rounds through the rotation. Regardless, Alex Cora likes what he sees from the Red Sox's No. 3 prospect.
"Stuff-wise, he’s really good,” Cora said, per The Boston Globe's Alex Speier on Tuesday. “I think he’s up to the challenge, he slows down the moments, and he’s getting better.”
Early had a 2.33 ERA in four regular-season starts last year. He will look to carry a strong spring training into the regular season. By having him and Oviedo on the roster, the Red Sox will be able to take some load off the bullpen early in the year while Suarez and Bello build up to a full workload.
Early posted a 1.59 ERA in spring training and struck out 16 batters in 17 innings of work.
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