On June 5, the Boston Red Sox optioned Brayan Bello to Triple-A Worcester after another terrible start.
Bello was struggling as a starter this year after having a career year in 2025. Through his first 12 games, he had made eight starts and had an ERA of 10.35. He had 22 strikeouts and 21 walks issued in those starts. However, he had made four appearances behind an opener and had gone 25 1/3 innings, allowing just two earned runs. He had 22 strikeouts, to just three walks.
The Red Sox clearly wanted him to start games, so they sent him down to figure things out. However, the emergence of Jake Bennett and Payton Tolle created a path for Bello to return to the big leagues as a reliever.
Right now, the rotation has Ranger Suarez, Sonny Gray, Tolle, Bennett and Patrick Sandoval. Garrett Crochet could return at some point and then the Red Sox really would have no way for Bello to start games. Bello has thrived since returning to the big leagues in a long-relief role.
In his last four games, he has gone 16 2/3 innings, striking out 15 batters and walking three. One of those walks was an intentional walk. He has hit two batters, but overall, he has been great out of the bullpen. He has been a bullpen saver for Chad Tracy and picked up a three-inning save on Tuesday. It was the first save of his career.
It's nice having a reliable arm who can go multiple innings in the bullpen. If a starter gets hurt or has a short outing, Bello can come in and keep Tracy from having to exhaust the one-inning arms in the bullpen.