Red Sox starter Bryan Bello, who had his spring stalled by a bout of shoulder soreness, took some lumps in his first rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester.
As Chris Cotillio of MassLive reported, the right-hander flashed his usual velocity â touching 97 mph â but was tagged for four runs over just 2 1/3 innings in Tuesdayâs 10-5 loss to Jacksonville.
Bello cruised through the first two innings without a scratch but unraveled fast in the third. After Jacksonville finally broke through, Bello exited with the game knotted at 1-1, one out on the board, and the bases full. Reliever Hunter Dobbins was called on to bail him out, but instead, he served up a grand slam that blew the inning wide open.
The twenty-five-year-old surrendered four hits, issued a pair of walks, and struck out five while filling the zone with 68.1% strikes (32 strikes on 47 pitches). He was only slated to go three innings.
The Red Sox still expect him to miss only about three turns through the rotation, making two additional minor league starts. His next rehab outing hasnât been set, though Worcesterâs home opener next Tuesday against Columbus is a possibility.
Bello signed a six-year, $55 million extension with the Red Sox ahead of the 2024 season. Despite bouts with inconsistency throughout the 2024 season, he flashed the electric stuff that makes him one of MLB’s most interesting young arms. He had a 14-8 win-loss record and a 4.49 ERA over 30 starts and was one of only 11 pitchers to start 20 or more team wins that season.
Heading into 2025, expectations are he’ll make the jump to dependable front-line starter, particularly with a veteran like Walker Buehler and ace Garrett Crochet ahead of him in the Boston rotation.
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