Brayan Bello started on Opening Day for the Boston Red Sox in 2024, pitching five innings and allowing two runs on five hits to secure a 6-4 victory over the Seattle Mariners.
With new ace Garrett Crochet expected to take the mound when the Red Sox open their 2025 season against the Texas Rangers on March 27, Bello was unlikely to receive the Opening Day nod again. However, his availability for the start of the season is now in question due to ongoing shoulder soreness.
Manager Alex Cora provided an update on Saturday, indicating that Bello’s readiness for Opening Day is becoming increasingly doubtful.
“Bello increasingly looking unlikely ready for Opening Day. Cora: ‘He’s behind’ Still progressing well,” WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford shared on social media.
Bello has yet to make an appearance in any of Boston’s Spring Training games and may begin the season on the injured list.
This news follows Friday’s report that Gold Glove right fielder Wilyer Abreu is also unlikely to be on the Opening Day roster.
Bello Has Shown Plenty of Inconsistency Over First 2 Seasons
Bello signed with the Red Sox in July 2017 at the age of 18 and made his MLB debut five years later on July 6, 2022.
Standing at 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds with an above-average changeup, the Dominican right-hander was often compared to Red Sox Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez as he progressed through the minors. However, he has shown inconsistency over his first two-plus seasons in the big leagues.
After a rough 2022 campaign, where he posted a 2-8 record with a 4.71 ERA and 1.77 WHIP in 13 games (11 starts), Bello made strides in 2023. He improved to a 12-11 record with a 4.24 ERA and 1.33 WHIP across 157 innings in 28 starts. However, when he struggled, it was often severe, allowing 9.5 hits per nine innings and a career-high 24 home runs (1.4 per nine innings).
In 2024, Bello emerged as Boston’s de facto ace in a thin starting rotation and, at times, lived up to that role. He finished the season with a 14-8 record, a 1.36 WHIP, and 153 strikeouts over 162.2 innings in 30 starts. His ERA rose slightly to 4.49, and while he gave up fewer home runs (19), his control issues persisted, with walks increasing to 64 and hit batsmen rising to 11.
Other Candidates to Fill Bello’s Rotation Spot
With Bello increasingly unlikely to be available for the start of the season, Boston will have several options to fill his spot in the rotation.
MLB.com’s Ian Browne suggested that potential candidates include 25-year-old Richard Fitts and 24-year-old Quinn Priester.
Fitts was selected by the New York Yankees in the sixth round of the 2021 MLB Draft, traded to the Red Sox in December 2023, and made his big-league debut last season with four starts. He went 0-1, allowing 19 hits and six runs (four earned) with seven walks and nine strikeouts over 20 2/3 innings.
Priester, a former first-round pick (18th overall) of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2019, made 20 appearances for the team between 2023 and 2024 before being traded to the Red Sox last July. He finished last season with a 3-6 record, a 4.71 ERA, a 1.40 WHIP, and 33 strikeouts over 49 2/3 innings across 11 games (seven starts).
Priester made one appearance with Boston, starting and winning the team’s regular-season finale against the Tampa Bay Rays, where he pitched five innings, allowing one run on four hits, with one walk and two strikeouts.
If Bello is unavailable, Fitts, Priester, or another pitcher will likely slot into the rotation behind Garrett Crochet, 2024 All-Star Tanner Houck, two-time All-Star (and new acquisition) Walker Buehler, and one-time All-Star Lucas Giolito.
