May 25, 2026, 11:20 AM ET

Boston Red Sox left-hander Connelly Early struggled with his control earlier this year, but he has begun to turn it around in that department and remains one of the more intriguing young arms to roster in fantasy baseball leagues. The 24-year-old southpaw is currently 4-2 in his 10 starts in 2026 with a 3.33 ERA (4.73 FIP) and 1.18 WHIP with 50 strikeouts and 19 walks in 54 innings in just his second year in the big leagues. Early picked up his fourth win of the season on May 20 against the Kansas City Royals on the road, allowing three earned runs on six hits (two homers) while walking only one and striking out five in 6 1/3 innings. The former fifth-round pick in 2023 out of Virginia has looked much better since wallowing a season-high five earned runs in four innings against the Houston Astros on May 2. In three starts since then, he has allowed five earned runs on 15 hits (four homers) while walking two and fanning 19 in 18 1/3 frames. Home runs have been an issue, but fantasy managers should feel more comfortable scooping him up off the waiver wire if he continues to limit the walks. Early is rostered in just over half of Yahoo leagues, and he has four quality starts in his last seven outings while giving up more than three earned runs in just one of his 10 starts in 2026.--Keith Hernandez
Source: Baseball Reference