Red Sox’ Chad Tracy sticking with Brayan Bello as struggles mount — but for how much longer?

The Red Sox say they’re committed to Brayan Bello, at least publicly.

Bello is expected to make his next start, largely due to a lack of pitching depth with both Garrett Crochet and Sonny Gray on the injured list.

The question now: will interim manager Chad Tracy stick with him and run Bello back out there?

“I’m planning on that, yes,” Tracy said to the media before the game on Friday night.

Bello is coming off back-to-back rough outings that have seen his ERA balloon to 9.12. Based on his performance, he’s a prime candidate to be removed from the rotation, whether that means a reset in Triple-A Worcester or a move to the bullpen.

In his most recent start in Toronto, Bello was hit hard, allowing four earned runs on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Tracy had seen enough, pulling him after just 63 pitches. 

As Tracy made his way to the mound, Bello shook his head in frustration, whether at his performance or the early hook from his skipper.

“Brayan knows, when the manager comes, that’s it,” Tracy said, “but again, he doesn’t want to come out of the game, and I expect that with a pitcher.”

“Obviously I was upset,” Bello said via the team translator after his last start. “I haven’t been able to pitch well in the past few. I haven’t been able to pitch deep into games.”

The righty clarified that his reaction wasn’t directed at Tracy. “I was very upset with myself,” he said.

Bello’s visible frustration has also been building, which also included an outburst in Baltimore, where he endured arguably the worst outing of his career. 

He allowed five home runs, three in the first inning, along with 13 hits, recording just 10 outs. The Orioles barreled nine balls at 100 mph or harder, and Bello exited with Boston trailing 8-1 in the fourth. Afterward, he took out his frustration on a bucket of bubble gum.

So far this season, Bello has allowed 26 earned runs on 43 hits with 15 walks over 25 2/3 innings, while striking out 25. Opposing hitters are batting .374 against him, the worst mark among pitchers with more than 10 innings pitched.

Meanwhile, Gray threw a three-inning live batting practice at Fenway Park. The veteran said he felt good and believes he could face big league hitters right now.

“That was good,” Gray said after tossing live batting practice. “I felt pretty good. It’s what I do. I love to pick up the baseball and I love to throw it. So that was fun. I enjoyed it. I feel like that was good volume. It wasn’t a ton of time completely off from throwing, so my body doesn’t feel like it got left behind.

“The good part about this when this happened is just being self-aware, (knowing I) did have a strain, which I knew. But then, being able to still work through it. Fortunately, it wasn’t something where I had to sit there and completely rest and not get on your feet for a couple of weeks. So that was good. I would feel comfortable and confident getting into a game (soon).”

Gray could come off the injured list next Wednesday, and the Sox would welcome his return to the starting rotation. 

“Sonny looked good,” said Tracy. “You see him out there, he’s grunting, he’s letting it go. His foot’s on the throttle, which is good. Next step is TBD. We’re going to talk through with (Craig Breslow and pitching coach Andrew Bailey) and decide if he’s going to go back into the rotation or not. We haven’t made that decision yet.”

Once Gray is eligible to return, the Red Sox will face a decision: option Jake Bennett back to Worcester, stick with the rookie, or make a tougher call involving Bello.

Bennett went five innings in his Major League debut Friday night, striking out Yordan Alvarez for his first career punchout. The left-hander allowed a solo home run to Carlos Correa in the third but settled in from there, not giving up another run and exiting with a 3-1 lead.

Payton Tolle has made two starts, striking out 11 in his season debut against the Yankees, but wasn't as sharp against the Blue Jays in his second outing. The lefty went 4 2/3 innings, allowing three runs, three hits and four walks while striking out four. He threw 61.8% of his pitches for strikes. He didn't feel like he had his best stuff. 

“Just didn’t feel like myself, really,” Tolle said. “Thought I was pressing a little too hard on myself. Even Connelly (Early) came in here and said, like, ‘Hey, looks like you’re just beating yourself up.’”

Tolle should remain in the rotation, but once both Gray and Crochet return, the Red Sox will face some tough decisions. Bello appears likely to be the odd man out.

The Red Sox got some good news on Crochet Friday, after learning the MRI on his left shoulder only revealed inflammation. The team will shut down their ace from throwing, at least through the weekend, and then focus on strengthening his shoulder. 

“He did have an MRI,” Tracy said. “Everything was clean. There was inflammation exactly as we expected it was. Nothing’s structurally wrong with him.”

Crochet is eligible to return to Boston’s rotation on May 11, and that date has not been ruled out, but the Red Sox plan to be careful with their top starter.

“Over the next couple of days, he’s not going to be throwing,” Tracy said. “It doesn’t make a lot of sense to do that with the IL stint right now. We’ve got to get him strong.

“When he’s feeling good and ready, that’s when he will be back on the mound. As of right now, with the shoulder fatigue and the weakness, it’s strengthening and building up from there. Then, we’ll see how he’s feeling as we go.”

Crochet’s return to the starting rotation will come after Gray’s.

“We’re going to take the next couple days to attack the shoulder strengthening piece,” Tracy said, “and then as he gets to the point where we feel like he’s feeling good enough to start throwing, he will. No timetable on it. Obviously, he’s a very important piece of our organization and our team. We’re not going to set a timetable and say, ‘This is what’s going to happen.’

For whatever reason, Bello has been a shell of himself this season. With Gray and Crochet both trending toward returns, the pressure is mounting. If Bello turns in another clunker, the Red Sox will be forced into a difficult decision, option him to Triple-A, move him to the bullpen, or potentially place him on the injured list.

Time will tell, but the leash is getting shorter by the start.