The Boston Red Sox had yet another scare in a season full of negative injury news earlier in the week, but it sounds like the club avoided a worst-case scenario. Red Sox lefty Connelly Early was forced to leave his start against the Washington Nationals early on Tuesday due to an elbow injury. On Wednesday, the Red Sox announced that Early was being placed on the 15-day Injured List due to left elbow inflammation and that they were waiting for results from the imaging on his elbow. While the Red Sox didn't have success on the field in Wednesday's series finale against Washington, after the game, Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy shared that Boston got some good news about the young lefty. The Red Sox May Not Miss Connelly Early For LongJun 25, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Connelly Early (71) throws a pitch against the New York Yankees in the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect“Posterior elbow inflammation in the area that we thought it was,” Tracy said. “That was kind of the area that he was complaining about last night. So we got some good news there. We'll still wait to see the next steps. Obviously with some soreness there, you wait a few days, wait for the rest of the week. But hopefully we can get him back up throwing soon. But some good news.”With the Red Sox already missing Garrett Crochet due to injury and Brayan Bello down in the minors, Boston can't afford many more hits. Fortunately, the Red Sox seemingly avoided anything really bad with the 24-year-old.With Early set to miss at least two weeks, the Red Sox are going to have to replace him in the rotation in the short term. Patrick Sandoval arguably makes the most sense to do so. He's nearing his return to big league action and it has already been reported that scouts around the league will have their eyes on him in his final rehab outing, just in case Boston is willing to trade him away. The Red Sox aren't going to find a more seamless way to integrate Sandoval than right now with just about one month to go until the trade deadline. He could fill in for the next few weeks and then Boston could call around and see if anyone wants him before the Aug. 3 trade deadline. Before Early went down, he was starting to get hot after a cold stretch early in June. Early allowed just three earned runs in his final 16 innings pitched before getting pulled early against Washington. As of right now, we have to wait to see the lefty back on the hill. But it doesn't sound like a long lay-off right now. The Red Sox's last game before the All-Star break is on July 12. Then, the Red Sox's next contest will be on July 17. Early was placed on the 15-day Injured List on Wednesday, so he'll be eligible to come off around when Boston returns to action after the All-Star break. In a perfect world, it will be a minimum stay for Early and we'll see him back around then. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow