Hopes were high when the Boston Red Sox signed Brayan Bello for a six-year, $55 million extension in 2024. His career-best 3.55 ERA last year proved that Boston was right about him, but the upward journey was short-lived. 2026 offered a brutal reality check as Bello currently stands with a 6.34 ERA. He has allowed 43 runs, which is the highest in the AL. The Red Sox still tried, but his outing on Thursday, allowing 8 runs in 5 innings, reached a breaking point.

The Red Sox finally demoted Bello, and he couldn’t control his emotions.

“It was a difficult moment, it was a bad day for me. I was ready to travel with the team, but I cried. I’ve a strong passion for baseball, and when I was told the bad news, it was very difficult for me,” Boston Strong quoted Bello.

The Red Sox are currently preparing themselves to face the New York Yankees this weekend, but Bello is now at Polar Park, getting ready for the WooSox stint.

Although Bello felt it was difficult to accept the demotion, the writing was already on the wall after he blew up quite a few starts this year. Till 2024, he dominated the minors with a high-octane fastball and devastating secondary pitches. His mid-90s to upper-90s sinker generated weak contact, while his slider and changeup missed bats. He dominated Double-A and Triple-A hitters, notably winning the Red Sox Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year.

Bello also posted strikeout rates exceeding 12.0 per 9 innings, proving he could overpower minor-league competition. 

However, since he joined the MLB, the first inning curse took over him. Against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday, he was rocked for six earned runs in a 40-pitch opening frame. Bello faced a staggering 12 batters in the bottom of the first, the most by a Red Sox pitcher in an opening frame in 75 seasons. After this meltdown, his first-inning ERA skyrocketed to 16.88.

“One of the things that we asked him to do was to kind of fall in love with baseball all over again. To go down and compete. He’s gonna work hard — we know that. But (we told him) to remember why you love playing this game,” the Red Sox’s CBO, Craig Breslow, said. This reflects how the team is seeking pre-2024 numbers from the 27-year-old.

The only positive thing is that Bello acknowledged his shortcomings and agreed to put more effort into the minors. “I’m ready to put in the work down here so whenever it’s my time and whatever role they give me at the big league level, I’m able to take full advantage of it,” Bello said from the WooSox dugout. Till the time Bello gets back to his prime, the Red Sox’s bet would be on another minor leaguer.

The Red Sox are betting on their farm system again

The Red Sox were one of the leading teams in promoting rookies in MLB in the last few years. Among them, Roman Anthony made a name for himself with his bat, but on the other hand, Kristian Campbell was demoted last year, and now Bello. So, they are fairly successful with their farm system experiments. Still, Bello’s replacement is again coming from the minors.

According to MLB.com’s Ian Browne, Jake Bennett is a “strong candidate” for a promotion to start Tuesday’s game against the Rays. The rumors were further fueled by the WooSox interim manager, Iggy Suarez. As per him, Bennett “keeps shoving” and is “doing all he can do” to prepare for the promotion. However, he already made his MLB debut on May 1 against the Astros. Bennett had allowed 1 run then, but in his second start against the Rays, he gave up 4 runs.

Still, his 2.27 ERA from last year’s minors with the Nationals means the Red Sox could bet on him one more time. While the Red Sox could still trade veterans by the deadline, Bennett’s outing would determine what their rotation would look like in the next few months.