Eight earned runs against the Orioles forced Boston’s hand. Brayan Bello is headed to the minors. The Red Sox finally took the uncomfortable decision that many believed was long overdue. Bello attracted a lot of questions for his difficult stretch, but what grabbed the headlines was how frustrated he seemed. And analysts were quick to criticize the 27-year-old’s outlook. 

“That is a bad attitude. That is, plain and simple, bad attitude. I think it’s the most tone deaf thing I’ve heard from the player all year,” NESN journalist Keagan Stiefel, quite harshly, called him out.

Bello is a homegrown star who made his MLB debut in 2022. He was slowly becoming a solid starter, and Boston signed a six-year, $55 million extension with him in 2024. He even tried to justify that contract with a 3.35 ERA and 2.1 K/BB last season. But 2026 turned out to be a nightmare for him as he had a 6.34 ERA over 12 games. And he has the worst opposition batting average in MLB (.310).

He started eight of them, where he was all over the place. His last start was this Wednesday, as he allowed eight earned runs over five innings, recording only 4 strikeouts in Boston’s 8-2 loss. He gave away six in his very first inning, where he faced 12 batters. It ultimately triggered Boston to send him down to Triple-A Worcester.

This demotion is a huge blow because of his massive contract. He was signed to a $55 million contract to be the leader of the starting pitching staff. A player with that big of a contract is generally not sent to the minors, which shows how desperate this move is. Bello, however, gave the Red Sox no choice.

This move is only similar to the one the Blue Jays made a few years ago. In 2010, Toronto signed Ricky Romero on a five-year, $30.1 million extension. After pitching well initially, he lost his control. And by 2013, he was sent down to the minors to fix his mechanics. Now, the Red Sox are trying the same with Bello.

After the game, reporters asked Bello about his role. They pointed out his amazing success pitching out of the bullpen compared to his terrible stats as a starter. But they seemed to have touched a nerve. Now, for a starter, 27 is supposed to be his prime. By this age, starters are expected to be stars and not be sent to the minors. 

Being slapped with a demotion from the major leagues and the growing debate over his role are indeed bitter facts for Bello. 

“First of all, just stop talking about bullpen and starting games,” Bello replied through his interpreter. “I’ve always been a starter, and when I’ve been successful as a starter, no one has questioned whether I have to be in the bullpen or starting games.”

This is the exact point that Stiefel argued. Notably, excluding just two games in his rookie season, Bello has been a starter. Well, up until 2026. He has pitched out of the bullpen four times out of 12 appearances this season. And the differences are drastic.

Brayan Bello recorded an awful 10.35 ERA, allowing 43 hits and 41 runs over 35.2 innings as a starter. He has also given away 15 runs in the first inning over eight starts. But as a reliever, he has an incredible ERA of 0.71, giving away just four hits and two runs in 25.1 innings. 

He is currently one of the best pitchers out of the bullpen. Hence, Stiefel mentioned that the pitcher is bound to face questions about his role because he has become a “liability to this team” as an SP. But the pitcher doesn’t want to have that conversation at all.

“So, starting from there, just stop that talk, I’m just having a bad season,” he added. 

This mindset is what attracted such harsh criticism from Stiefel. However, while others continue to debate over his roles and destinations, Bello has a fixed attention. 

Brayan Bello remains focused on fixing the problem instead of debating it

The RHP doesn’t believe that this is necessarily a bullpen vs starter issue. He is not even considering this as a Worcester story. He is focusing on himself for having a bad season. And he wants to fix the problems. 

That’s what he doubled down on, saying, “I’m not thinking about that. I’m thinking about making my adjustments in the big leagues. I have a big league contract.”

Notably, the Red Sox even considered the opener strategy just for him. Sending someone to start with just one inning, and then Bello can take over the majority of it. Unfortunately, Boston couldn’t continue with that strategy as it was hampering the bullpen setup and continuity. But the pitcher refused to see that as an issue. 

“I don’t really know what’s going on. I think I have the same mentality whether I’m starting or relieving,” he stated. 

But Brayan Bello isn’t being oblivious or disrespectful to the front office in any way. In fact, he is just focusing on one single thing – proving that he belongs in the big league. As a starter. And he’s not the only one to believe in that theory. 

“For us to be successful, we need Bello to start,” interim manager Chad Tracy stated firmly.

That’s all the support he needs right now. All the criticism, all the noise about roles is secondary. Nothing comes before what the team needs.