{"id":97067,"date":"2025-09-23T01:09:01","date_gmt":"2025-09-23T01:09:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=97067"},"modified":"2025-09-23T01:09:01","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T01:09:01","slug":"%f0%9f%9a%a8red-sox-playoff-alert-analysts-are-urging-boston-to-make-a-surprise-move-by-involving-connelly-early-in-the-postseason-sparking-debate-among-fans-about-strategy-timing-and-how-the-youn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=97067","title":{"rendered":"\ud83d\udea8RED SOX PLAYOFF ALERT: Analysts are urging Boston to make a surprise move by involving Connelly early in the postseason, sparking debate among fans about strategy, timing, and how the young talent could impact critical games."},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\">\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2235833889-e1758546779171.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2235833889-e1758546779171.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2235833889-e1758546779171.jpg?quality=15&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2235833889-e1758546779171.jpg?quality=35&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1350 1350w\" alt=\"Red Sox Urged to Make Surprise Playoff Move on Connelly Early\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" \/><\/figure>\n<div>\n<p>Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>Connelly Early #71 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates with his teammates after being taken out of a game against the Athletics during the sixth inning at Fenway Park on September 16, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Red Sox still need to punch a ticket to the American League playoffs at this point, and while taking two out of three in a weekend series in Tampa Bay was a positive, they\u2019re 85-71, still clinging to a one-game lead over the Astros and Guardians, who are both 84-72.<\/p>\n<p>Boston will close with a three-game series in Toronto starting Tuesday, with the hope that the Blue Jays take their foot off the gas now that they\u2019ve clinched the AL East, followed by a three-game home series against the Tigers\u2013who, at 85-71 and one game ahead of Cleveland as well, are in danger of losing their hold on a playoff spot without a strong finish.<\/p>\n<p>If things shake out in the Red Sox\u2019s favor in the coming days, they will need to quickly assemble their plan for the playoffs, starting next Tuesday. And while there is no doubt that the team will want ace Garrett Crochet to take the ball as many times as possible, ESPN has a radical suggestion for Boston\u2019s potential postseason run: Get rookie Connelly Early into the mix, too.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Red Sox Have Garrett Crochet, Brayan Bello and Then \u2026<\/h2>\n<p>As things stand, logically, the Red Sox would have Crochet as their Game 1 ace if the schedule allows it. Their second-best pitcher has been Brayan Bello, at 11-8 with a 3.34 ERA and Lucas Giolito has been a clear third (10-4, 3.46).<\/p>\n<p>Early, the lefty called up by Boston to debut this month after a stellar minor-league season, has been impressive, going 1-1 with a 1.88 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 14.1 innings. As ESPN analyst Kiley McDaniel sees it, the Red Sox should move Giolito aside and ride with Early in the playoffs.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_5503291\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2234947810.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 556px) 100vw, 556px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2234947810.jpg 3690w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2234947810.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2234947810.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2234947810.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2234947810.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2234947810.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2234947810.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2234947810.jpg?resize=782,521 782w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2234947810.jpg?resize=780,520 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2234947810.jpg?resize=425,283 425w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2234947810.jpg?resize=254,169 254w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2234947810.jpg?resize=270,180 270w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2234947810.jpg?resize=225,150 225w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2234947810.jpg?resize=242,161 242w\" alt=\"Red Sox Urged to Make Surprise Playoff Move on Connelly Early\" width=\"556\" height=\"370\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5503291\" data-lazy-load=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-5503291\">Getty ImagesFans in centerfield applaud as the 12th and final \u201cK\u201d is put up for pitcher Garrett Crochet #35 of the Boston Red Sox during the sixth inning against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park on September 14, 2025 in Boston.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Red Sox Rotation Suggestion<\/h2>\n<p>McDaniel wrote of the Red Sox\u2019s pitching approach: \u201cCrochet is very clearly the kind of arm Boston needs to start three times in a seven-game series. Bello has outpitched his underlying metrics all year. \u2026 Early has continually beat my expectations, including when I thought (Payton) Tolle was the better of the two Red Sox prospect lefties with a chance to be called up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think starting those three and deploying the other bulk-inning options listed above in a bullpen day (instead of a conventional fourth starter) and\/or long relief to take advantage of matchups is likely the best option.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Connelly Early Over Lucas Giolito?<\/h2>\n<p>The logic of using a guy who can get strikeouts in the playoffs is obvious, but still, it would be difficult to bump Giolito from the starting rotation. He was inconsistent early in the year, and had a couple of bumps down the stretch (he called his last start \u201ctrash\u201d) but he has strung together some exceptional runs during this season.<\/p>\n<p>Early allowed three runs (two earned) in 4.0 innings on Sunday. He walked two and gave up three runs in the first.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just didn\u2019t do a good enough job being in the strike zone from pitch one,\u201d Early said. \u201cTwo walks in the first is a tough start, and going down 3-0 is really tough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including &#8220;Fun City,&#8221; &#8220;Before Wrigley became Wrigley,&#8221; and &#8220;Facing Michael Jordan.&#8221; More about Sean Deveney<\/p>\n<h2>More Heavy on Red Sox<\/h2>\n<p>Loading more stories<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Red Sox rookie Connelly Early has been impressive since being called up this month&#8211;and ESPN is calling for him to start in the playoffs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":97068,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-97067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>\ud83d\udea8RED SOX PLAYOFF ALERT: Analysts are urging Boston to make a surprise move by involving Connelly early in the postseason, sparking debate among fans about strategy, timing, and how the young talent could impact critical games. - 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