As the Boston Red Sox enter the home stretch of the 2025 season with only 17 regular season games left to play ahead of Tuesday’s action, manager Alex Cora suddenly finds his starting rotation in chaos.
According to media reports, the Red Sox will be calling up two of their top Triple-A pitchers on Tuesday, with each expected to see action in the final two games of a three-game set against the team formerly known as the Oakland Athletics, at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, California.
On Tuesday morning, multiple media reports revealed that current Red Sox fifth starter Dustin May would hit the inured list with an as-yet undisclosed ailment. In his place, the Red Sox called up their top lefty pitching prospect who remained at Triple-A Worcester, 23-year-old Connelly Early.
Second Pitching Call-Up of the Day
Early, who brings a combined minor league record of 10-3 with a 2.60 ERA between Worcester and Double-A Portland in 2025, was immediately slated to start on Tuesday after making his way from Syracuse, New York â where the WooSox are playing Tuesday â to Northern California.
But just a couple of hours later it became clear that the Red Sox were not done mining their Triple-A pitching corps yet. According to Worcester Telegram and Gazette WooSox beat writer Tommy Cassell, Kyle Harrison, another southpaw, will be called up to the Major League club and will likely pitch on Wednesday in the series finale with the Athletics.
Harrison Part of Rafael Devers Trade Package
Because Harrison pitched one inning on Sunday and is coming off an ankle injury, it seems unlikely that the Red Sox will call on him for more than two or three innings of work in West Sacramento.
Harrison before the 2024 season was the San Francisco Giants No. 1 overall prospect, ranked second among all pitching prospects in baseball, topped only by Pittsburgh Pirates then-prospect Paul Skenes.
The Red Sox acquired him on June 15, as part of a package of players traded for three-time All-Star Rafael Devers. Because Harrison has pitched more than 150 big league innings including 25 2/3 for the Giants earlier this year, he is no longer ranked as a “prospect” by MLB Pipeline.
Call-Ups Come Less Than 2 Weeks After Tolle Debut
While Early will make his Major League debut on Tuesday, Harrison will simply be making his Red Sox debut.
The double call-up comes less than two weeks after the top pitching prospect in Boston’s farm system, Payton Tolle, made his electrifying MLB debut August 29 at Fenway Park, striking out eight in 5 1/3 innings while allowing two runs on three hits and two walks.
Tolle pitched his second game in Arizona against the Diamondbacks on Friday with considerably less success, allowing five runs while tossing 78 pitches over just three innings.
Tolle may be called upon to pitch on Wednesday as well, either starting or backing up Harrison in what will likely turn out to be a “bullpen game,” with multiple pitchers splitting the duties of recording 27 outs.
Red Sox starters rank 12th in MLB with a 3.95 ERA this season. But most of that performance is the work of their top three starters, Garrett Crochet, Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito.
Those three have combined for a 3.79 ERA, while all other starters have posted a collective 5.42.
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