The Nationals paused Early's (elbow) throwing program Thursday after he felt forearm tightness during his latest live BP session, Danielle Allentuck of The Washington Post reports.
Early has been sidelined by elbow inflammation since the beginning of July. He was aiming to return from the IL to make his Nationals debut sometime in late August, but his latest setback is likely to extend his time on the shelf. Manager Blake Butera noted that the left-hander's forearm issue isn't too concerning, per Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com, but the team is still going to be "ultra cautious" with Early going forward and give him some time off to rest before reevaluating him and determining next steps.