The Boston Red Sox may be starting the 2025 season a few pitchers short after the latest update on Brayan Bello.
Bello has been combating shoulder soreness since he arrived at camp nearly a month ago. The Red Sox initially expected the righty to be ready for action by Opening Day, but there has been a change in his timeline.
According to Rob Bradford of WEEI, it seems "increasingly" unlikely that Bello will be ready for game action come March 27, when the Sox open the 2025 season in Arlington, Texas. The righty shared last week that he was optimistic about his chances to make the Opening Day roster, but Red Sox manager Alex Cora reiterated that he's still behind schedule.
Bello's timeline is not yet certain, but even if he misses out on the Opening Day roster, the Red Sox need not fret. Boston still has plenty of pitching depth it could turn to in a pinch, like Cooper Criswell, Quinn Preister, or Richard Fitts, among other potential spot starters.
Brayan Bello 'increasingly' unlikley to be ready for Red Sox Opening Day
Multiple Red Sox caught a stomach illness that has ripped through camp in the first few weeks. Roman Anthony was one of the first players to catch the bug. He returned to the team on March 8, 10-12 pounds lighter than when he last played in a spring training game on March 2. Cora said Anthony would be kept out of games for a few days and that his only job until then would be to eat to get some of his weight back on.
Triston Casas also caught the tenacious stomach bug and returned to camp on March 9. Casas' housemate, Vaughn Grissom, reported to Cora that the first baseman "[wasn't] looking good" on March 6. He hasn't appeared in a Grapefruit League game since March 2 and is batting .091/.333/.182 over four games. The Red Sox expect him to be back in the lineup on March 11.
Roman Anthony, Triston Casas return to Red Sox after stomach bug, Justin Slaten latest to catch it
Justin Slaten is one of the latest Red Sox to catch the stomach ailment. Reports of Slaten's illness began on March 9 and Cora hopes he'll be back in camp in a few days.
Casas is Boston's only first baseman, so his roster spot likely isn't jeopardized by his condition, but Slaten is battling for the closer spot in the Sox's bullpen. Liam Hendriks and Aroldis Chapman are also in the mix, and Hendriks hasn't performed well early on in spring training, which could give Chapman and Slaten an edge. Hopefully, the righty can bounce back quickly to battle for the closer job as Opening Day nears.