The Boston Red Sox's rotation has grown so much over the offseason that Brayan Bello has been pushed from the team's No. 2 rotation spot to a back-of-the-pack role. But Bello's last two seasons have represented massive steps for a young pitcher still coming into his own.
Bello has posted two straight seasons with 29 or more appearances — he's been able to stay healthy and the Red Sox have trusted him as a reliable arm in their staff. Trevor Hass of Boston.com believes he'll build on his recent successes.
In his list of 10 predictions for the Red Sox's 2026 season, Hass imagines Bello earning his first All-Star nomination, which would be an incredible outcome for Boston. Bello is the only homegrown pitcher in the Sox's rotation and years of work and development are finally starting to show.
Bello posted a 4.49 ERA, 153 strikeouts and 64 walks over 162.1 innings in 2024 and improved on that last season with a career-best 3.35 ERA, 124 strikeouts and 59 walks in 166.2 frames. Hass notes that Bello could stand to throw more strikes, as his strikeout rate ranked in the 16th percentile last season.
Red Sox need Brayan Bello to step up after rough starts from Ranger Suárez, Sonny Gray
Took care of business 👏 pic.twitter.com/BpDRs9thLp
— Red Sox (@RedSox) March 9, 2026
The Red Sox need Bello to break out sooner rather than later. Boston is off to an undesirable 1-3 start to the 2026 season and Craig Breslow's offseason acquisitions haven't performed as well as fans hoped so far (yes, we know, it's still early and there's still plenty of time for everyone to find their way). Neither Sonny Gray nor Ranger Suárez lasted five innings in their first starts with the Red Sox, and both allowed four runs. Johan Oviedo didn't look sharp in relief of Suárez, either. A good start from Bello could be the Sox's path back to the win column, which will be a tall task against Hunter Brown, but newfound confidence may be able to help him do it.
Bello told Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes after his World Baseball Classic start for the Dominican Republic that he's learned to better trust his pitches, which will help him attack hitters. The competition in the WBC is at a lower level than Bello will face in MLB, but if he can channel the five innings and seven strikeouts he pitched to dominate against Team Israel, he should have no problem improving even more this coming season.
Bello will also be surrounded by more talented arms than ever throughout the 2026 campaign, despite some of their ugly starts. Suárez is a similar pitcher to Bello — he's a righty who's been consistent and successful with a high ground ball rate and a league-average or lower strikeout rate.
Bello's emergence as a potential All-Star has been a long time coming. The Red Sox trusted him enough to use him near the top of their rotation in the last two seasons which should give him the confidence to attack hitters, as he plans, to complete his rise.