Newly acquired lefty Connelly Early looked disoriented as he sauntered through the Nationals clubhouse.

. He noted at least one difference from Boston when he met with the throng of D.C. media.

“Less big cameras, though,” he quipped before Monday’s game.

But there is a familiarity for Early in the organization. He affectionately referred to president of baseball operations Paul Toboni as “T-Bone,” the nickname many call Toboni from his Boston days. Toboni was leading drafts for the Red Sox when Early was selected in the fifth round out of the University of Virginia in 2023. Having that relationship is a benefit as the Nationals try to get Early assimilated to his new club.

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The 24-year-old was getting ready for bed Saturday around 10:40 p.m. when he got a call from Boston chief baseball officer Craig Breslow informing him of the deal.

“A little bit shocked, and then obviously having to pack up everything, move everything that I own into my truck,” he said. “Hopefully, I get that in a couple days. But I’m just excited to be here. Everybody’s been really good to me so far, so I’m really excited.”

Manager Blake Butera talked to Early late Sunday morning to profess how much the organization coveted him.

“But the first time somebody gets traded, it can be a blow for him, of course,” Butera said. “I think he probably went from a spot like, ‘[Boston] is where I’m going to be for a while,’ to all of a sudden this happening without him having any idea. We want to just make sure he understands [that] he was traded because we really wanted him.

As devastated as the clubhouse and front office were to lose third baseman Curtis Mead, they were just as excited to add Early, who electrified in his 2025 call-up, earning a playoff start against the Yankees.

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In 17 starts this season, he has a 3.44 ERA and 93 strikeouts and 91 2/3 innings.

Early is currently rehabbing from posterior elbow inflammation that forced an early exit from his June 30 start against the Nationals. He threw off the mound Monday and was looked at by rehab coordinator Dan Mahoney. He’ll throw another bullpen session in a couple of days and is on track to make a rehab start Aug. 3.

Butera said that Early is trending in a good direction. It’s undetermined if the southpaw will travel to Atlanta, but the team wants to ensure that they’re doing everything possible to aid his recovery. It wasn’t lost on the players that they acquired a teammate who could help them in the short term. There’s a belief within the clubhouse that adding a starter could significantly help them in the wild-card race.

“I watched them when they came and played us, and they put up a bunch of runs, so that was a little tough to see,” Early said. “I’m trying to get as healthy as I can, so I can get out there and support them.”

The Nationals won three straight series out of the All-Star break, including this past weekend’s series against a Diamondbacks team that is firmly in the playoff chase.

“We want to get [Early] back as early as possible, but we also need to be responsible that he’s built up the right way, so that we keep him in good health for a long time, to where he’s not missing starts,” Butera said.