The key star opened the 2024 season for the Boston Red Sox by taking the mound on Opening Day. In a performance that lasted five innings, he allowed only two runs on five hits, helping the team notch a 6-4 win over the Seattle Mariners.
Looking ahead to the 2025 season, new ace Garrett Crochet is slated to pitch against the Texas Rangers on March 27, which means Bello wasn’t expected to be the Opening Day starter again. However, concerns have emerged about his readiness due to persistent shoulder soreness. Manager Alex Cora provided an update Saturday morning, noting that Bello appears less likely to be game-ready for Opening Day. “Bello increasingly looks unlikely to be ready for Opening Day. He’s behind,” Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reported on social media, adding that Bello is still making progress.
The Star has not yet appeared in any Spring Training games with Boston and now risks beginning the season on the injured list. This development comes on the heels of a Friday report suggesting that Gold Glove right fielder Wilyer Abreu is also doubtful for the Opening Day roster.
Brayan Bello’s journey with the Red Sox began when he signed on as an 18-year-old in July 2017, and he made his MLB debut on July 6, 2022. Standing 6-foot-1 and weighing 195 pounds, the Dominican right-hander, known for his above-average changeup, was once compared to Red Sox legend Pedro Martinez as he advanced through the minor leagues. However, his major league performance has been a mixed bag.
In his rookie 2022 season, Bello struggled mightily, ending with a 2-8 record, a 4.71 ERA, and a 1.77 WHIP across 13 appearances (11 of which were starts). He showed signs of improvement in 2023, compiling a 12-11 record with a 4.24 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP over 157 innings in 28 starts. Still, he remained prone to hard contact, allowing an average of 9.5 hits per nine innings and surrendering a career-high of 24 home runs (1.4 per nine innings).
Last season, Bello emerged as Boston’s de facto ace amid a struggling rotation and had moments where he truly embodied that role. He finished 2024 with a 14-8 record, a 1.36 WHIP, and struck out 153 batters in 162 1/3 innings over 30 starts. Despite these bright spots, his ERA crept up to 4.49, and although he managed to reduce his home run rate to 19 total, he encountered issues with command, issuing 64 walks and hitting 11 batters.
With Bello increasingly likely to miss at least the initial turn through the rotation, the Red Sox are exploring alternatives to fill his spot. MLB.com’s Ian Browne has pointed to 25-year-old Richard Fitts and 24-year-old Quinn Priester as leading candidates.
Fitts, originally selected by the Yankees in the sixth round of the 2021 MLB Draft, was traded to Boston in December 2023. In his major league debut last season, he started four games, recording an 0-1 record while 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) by the Pirates in 2019, pitched in 20 games for Pittsburgh between 2023 and 2024 before being traded to Boston last July. He ended his previous season with a 3-6 record, a 4.71 ERA, a 1.40 WHIP, and 33 strikeouts in 49 2/3 innings over 11 games (seven starts). Notably, in his sole appearance for the Red Sox during the regular-season finale, he secured the win against the Rays by pitching five innings, allowing one run on four hits, with one walk and two strikeouts.
Whether it ends up being Fitts, Priester, or another emerging talent, the player stepping into Bello’s rotation spot will be joining a staff led by ace Garrett Crochet, along with 2024 All-Star Tanner Houck, two-time All-Star and recent acquisition Walker Buehler, and one-time All-Star Lucas Giolito.
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