The Boston Red Sox have promoted top pitching prospect Connelly Early, the team announced, as the club deals with yet another injury in the starting rotation amid a three-team battle for AL East supremacy.

Struggling right-hander Dustin May was set to start for the Red Sox against the Athletics on Tuesday. May was moved to the 15-Day Injured List (retroactive to September 6) with right elbow neuritis. It’s the same injury that right-hander Richard Fitts was placed on the IL with in August. Fitts is still working his way back. To make room on the 40-man roster for Early, Vaughn Grissom was placed on the 60-Day IL with plantar fasciitis.

Welcome to the Majors, Connelly Early! pic.twitter.com/fQwcFvRaTY

— Red Sox (@RedSox) September 9, 2025

The timing is not ideal for the Red Sox, as they sit one game behind the New York Yankees for the top wild-card spot and three games back of the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the division with 17 games remaining. The Red Sox play both New York and Toronto over the final two weeks.

Early, the club’s top pitching prospect after Payton Tolle, was promoted to Triple A in early August and posted a 2.83 ERA over six starts with a 30.7 percent strikeout rate. In his most recent start last Tuesday, the left-hander struck out 10 over six innings, allowing one run on three hits. Early began the year in Double A Portland, where he posted a 2.51 ERA and 32.3 percent strikeout rate over 15 games, 12 starts.

The backend of the rotation has emerged as an issue. Veteran Walker Buehler signed a deal worth $21.05 million last offseason, but struggled so badly that he was shuttled to the bullpen and then ultimately released. Thus far, May hasn’t fared much better since arriving in a trade deadline deal with the Dodgers.

Ahead of his scheduled return to the rotation on Tuesday, the Red Sox had moved May to the bullpen temporarily last week to give Tolle an extra day’s rest. May pitched three innings in relief on Wednesday, allowing one run on three hits, two walks and a strikeout.

In six appearances with the Red Sox, five starts, May has a 5.40 ERA with 26 strikeouts and 13 walks in 28 ⅓ innings.

(Top photo of Dustin May: Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images)