Red Sox make huge Brayan Bello move after brutal start vs. Orioles

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The Boston Red Sox have seen enough. Following another dreadful start, Brayan Bello is being sent down to Triple-A Worcester, per WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche. This move, which seemed incomprehensible before the 2026 campaign, temporarily puts an end to the ongoing starter/opener debate that hovered above the 27-year-old Dominican in his last several outings.

Bello was brilliant when Boston used him as a bulk-innings guy, but he has stumbled repeatedly and catastrophically when given the ball to begin a game. The 6-foot-1 hurler allowed six runs in the first inning of Thursday’s 8-2 series-clinching loss to the Baltimore Orioles, raising his ERA to a frightening 6.34. Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy stuck with him through the fifth, obviously hesitant to empty his bullpen in what quickly became a rout.

The right-handed pitcher was charged with eight runs and three walks on the day. Amid Baltimore’s bombardment of Bello, many fans criticized the team for not employing an opener when the trend was producing excellent results for No. 66. He owns a sub-1.00 ERA in that very role.

Here is the problem, though. Boston’s relievers have floundered with that responsibility. Jovani Moran and Tyler Samaniego, both of whom were excelling out of the bullpen, scuffled as openers.

Bello may have been dominant once he shed the starter label, but the Sox’s overall struggles did not stop. They are 1-3 in those instances. Is it implausible to think that a pitcher may perform better when the pressure is lower? Perhaps the stellar stats are not solely due to the opener effect.

This is the latest argument Brayan Bello supporters will use to defend his descent. Before this current situation, people criticized the idea of pairing him with Carlos Narvaez instead of Connor Wong, who served as his primary catcher in his career 2025 campaign. There could be something to these gripes, but when a franchise has invested $55 million in a homegrown talent, it will not want to hear reasons why that player is combusting on the mound.

Bello wanted to work through this befuddling funk in the big-leagues, but he will now be forced to figure out his issues with the WooSox.

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