Brayan Bello is back in the Boston Red Sox rotation, and the timing could hardly be more important.
After spending much of the season bouncing between roles, Bello is set to make his first start since June 4 when Boston opens a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday. It’s the latest turn in a strange year for the right-hander, who began the 2026 season in the rotation, struggled badly there, and then found a very different groove once the Red Sox moved him to the bullpen and used him behind an opener.
That split has defined Bello’s season. When he was starting, he ranked among the worst pitchers in the American League by ERA. Out of the bullpen, though, he has looked like a different arm entirely.
Boston sent him to Triple-A in June, and he returned in July before working strictly as a reliever in the majors. For a while, that version of Bello was electric. From July 12 through Aug. 24, he posted a 1.23 ERA over 29 1/3 innings across eight appearances.
The last week or so has been rough, though, and Bello will take the ball on Monday after back-to-back difficult outings. He gave up four earned runs to the New York Yankees on Aug. 29 in 4 1/3 innings, then allowed four more runs against the Seattle Mariners on Sep. 2 in three innings.
Even with those bumps, Boston could use the upside he showed earlier in the summer. Payton Tolle and Jake Bennett have both been strong, but both have also reached new career highs in innings pitched.
Sonny Gray has been an ace, but at 36, the Red Sox need to keep him fresh for the playoffs, even if that means watching his workload down the stretch. Ranger Suárez also gave Boston a lift over the weekend against the Baltimore Orioles, throwing seven shutout innings in his best start in a while.
If Bello can settle back into the rotation and deliver, it would help Boston in two places at once: the starting staff and a bullpen that could use the relief. And the Red Sox know what he can look like when he’s right. Last year, Bello was one of the main reasons Boston got back to the playoffs, joining Garrett Crochet and Lucas Giolito in carrying the club while the offense struggled.
For Boston, the hope is simple: that Bello shows up from the first inning and doesn’t need a few frames to find his rhythm.
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