Overview
- Early worked two shutout innings in his spring debut against the Rays, throwing 27 pitches (18 strikes) with one walk, one strikeout and no hits.
- His fastball reached the mid-90s, registering around 94.8 mph after an offseason in which he added roughly 15 pounds of muscle.
- Manager Alex Cora highlighted holding runners and sustaining mid-90s velocity as priorities as Early builds up this spring.
- Competition for a rotation job includes Johan Oviedo, Kutter Crawford, Patrick Sandoval and Payton Tolle, and Cora indicated Early is not a bullpen candidate and could open in Triple A.
- Boston fell on a ninth-inning, two-run single by Jonny DeLuca after a late RBI triple from Mickey Gasper; Carlos Narvaez went 2-for-3, and relievers Zack Kelly, Kyle Keller, Wyatt Olds, Noah Song and Jeremy Wu-Yelland posted scoreless frames.