After getting one more workout in at Fenway on Friday, Wilyer Abreu flew to Tampa to join the rest of the Red Sox and teased us on social media. But Abreu, obviously, was not in the Red Sox lineup last night against the Rays. Look for him to be activated today, with the Gold Glove right fielder saying “I feel strong, I feel good, I’m ready to go.” (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
But Wilyer Abreu won’t the the guy in the spotlight tonight (unless he forces himself in there). That will be rookie Connelly Early, who will make his third MLB start in an attempt to prove he can be dominant against teams other than just the Oakland A’s. But there’s a slightly different universe in which, instead of pitching against the Rays tonight, Early is on a base somewhere getting yelled at (and presumably doing some yelling, since he would’ve been an officer). (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)
The best case scenario for the Sox tonight is Early cruises again while Abreu pops an early homer to give the Sox a nice, easy win. But nothing’s been nice and easy for the Red Sox lately, as they’ve become a team that leaves things late. (Sean McAdam, MassLive)
Asking Early to dominate a Major League team for a third consecutive start is asking a lot of any rookie, let alone one who made his MLB debut without much hype or prospect pedigree. But the story of the late 2025 Boston Red Sox right now is that it’s the young pitchers who are here to save the day. (Rob Bradford, WEEI)
And thank god Early, Patyon Tolle, and Kyle Harrison have stepped up, because it looks like we won’t be seeing Roman Anthony for a while. (Connor Ryan, Boston.com)
In the meantime, keep up-to-date on the various playoff maneuvering, in and out of the American League, right here. (Steve Berman, The Athletic)
