A lot has gone wrong for the Boston Red Sox to begin the 2026 campaign, but for the most part, the team has received great production from its pitching staff, particularly its starting rotation. The lone exception, of course, has been Brayan Bello, who was demoted to the minors last week after his latest rough outing.
In the blink of an eye, Bello has gone from being a reliable middle-of-the-rotation option to arguably the worst starting pitcher in the league. Bello has been vocal in expressing his frustration with his performance this year, and that continued in the wake of his decision, as he made his thoughts on the move very clear.
Brayan Bello Opens Up on Red Sox Demotion
Bello has never been the greatest pitcher to walk the earth, but he’s generally managed to hold his own during his time in the pros with Boston. In his first three full seasons with the team, Bello made 86 total starts and posted a respectable 4.02 ERA. Even with all the additions the Sox made to their starting rotation over the offseason, Bello was still a key part of their plans.
Through 12 appearances this year (eight starts, four relief appearances in which he was used behind a starter), Bello has been a nightmare. He has just a 2-6 record with an ugly 6.34 ERA and 44 strikeouts, and his 43 earned runs allowed are the highest total in the American League. And yet, with Garrett Crochet on the injured list, the Red Sox had almost no choice but to stick with him.
That changed after his outing against the Baltimore Orioles last week, as Bello was immediately tagged for eight runs, which effectively ended the game before it ever got started. While he ended up gutting out five innings to preserve the bullpen, the damage was done, as Bello was demoted shortly after the game. When speaking on the decision, Bello admitted he was emotional, but he’s looking to push forward and find a way to get himself back on track.
“It was a really tough day,” Bello admitted when speaking to reporters through a translator. “I got the unfortunate news, I shed some tears, got a little emotional because I have so much love and passion for this game. To get that bad news was really tough, but we’re better today.”
Red Sox Are Hoping Brayan Bello Can Figure Things Out in the Minors
GettyBoston Red Sox SP Brayan Bello
Boston’s other four starters (Connelly Early, Payton Tolle, Ranger Suarez, and Sonny Gray) have been great so far this year, but the No. 5 starter has been a mess. Crochet struggled before hitting the injured list earlier this season, and now, Bello has been so bad that he has been sent to the minors in favor of the unproven Jake Bennett.
If the Red Sox are going to turn things around this year, it’s going to be on the back of their pitching staff, which is why Bello needs to get going, and soon. Boston appears to be on track to suffer another tough loss to the New York Yankees on Sunday afternoon, so the team will have to turn the page to their upcoming series, which will feature another tough challenge against the Tampa Bay Rays.
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