Red Sox option Brayan Bello to minors after disastrous start to 2026 season

The Red Sox have had enough of Brayan Bello. 

Boston optioned the struggling right-hander to Triple-A Worcester, as first reported by Dan Roche of WBZ. 

Bello was rocked on Thursday in the series finale against the Orioles. The righty went five innings in the 8-2 loss to Baltimore, struggling out of the gate, throwing 40 pitches in the first inning. He allowed six runs, five hits and three walks while also hitting a batter in the frame before settling down. 

As a starter, Bello has been brutal, owning a 10.35 ERA in 35 2/3 innings, giving up 41 earned runs over eight starts, compared to a 0.71 ERA (25 1/3 innings, two earned runs) as a bulk reliever following an opener. 

“Just stop talking about bullpen and starting games,” an angry Bello said through translator Carlos Villoria Benítez. “I’ve always been a starter. And when I’ve been successful as a starter, nobody has questioned whether I have to be in the bullpen or starting games.”

It’s hard to ignore his lackluster performance considering the only time he’s pitched well has been as a reliever behind an opener. 

“Just stop that talk because I’m just having a bad season. That’s it,” Bello said. “It’s not whether I’m a starter or I’m a reliever. I’m just having a bad season. But I know I can turn it around. I always have. And I think I will.”

Bello was asked if he might benefit from a short stint in the minors to figure things out in a less demanding environment; he said, “I’m not thinking about that.”

“I’m thinking about making my adjustments in the big leagues,” Bello said. “I have a big league contract. That doesn’t mean the bosses ... will take that into consideration. But I’m a big leaguer. I’m a big league starting pitcher. And I’ll make my adjustments here.”

Bello is headed back to the minors, where the Red Sox hope he can finally uncover what’s gone wrong during a disastrous 2026 season.

“I don’t really know what’s going on,” Bello said. “I think I have the same mentality whether I’m starting or relieving. So obviously I don’t know.”

Interim manager Chad Tracy didn’t dismiss the question when asked if Bello could benefit from time at Triple-A Worcester.

“I don’t know,” Tracy said. “We’ll talk more about that. There’s topics there that I want to discuss with everybody inside and be on the same page with all that kind of stuff.”

Tracy described Bello’s first innings as a starter “a struggle.”

“They hit him hard and of (all) the innings that was probably his worst strike-throwing inning,” Tracy said. “I think we were at around 50% .... He got behind in some counts and they jumped him on some early count stuff and put a big number up there.”

Taking Bello’s spot on the roster will be newly acquired lefty Joe La Sorsa, who the Sox acquired from the Pirates, following the series loss to the Orioles. 

La Sorsa recently triggered the upward mobility clause in his minor league contract, forcing Pittsburgh to either add him to its major league roster or risk losing him to another club willing to do so. He is expected to join the Red Sox this weekend in New York as Boston opens a three-game series against the Yankees.

If he appears in a game for Boston, La Sorsa will pitch in the major leagues for a fourth consecutive season. From 2023-25, he made appearances with the Rays, Nationals and Reds, posting a 5.21 ERA across 57 innings.

The left-hander signed a minor league deal with Pittsburgh this offseason and spent the year with Triple-A Indianapolis, where he recorded a 3.46 ERA over 26 innings. La Sorsa also represented Italy in the World Baseball Classic.

The acquisition gives Boston another left-handed option in a bullpen that already includes Aroldis Chapman, Danny Coulombe and Jovani Morán. Assuming La Sorsa is added to the active roster, the Red Sox would carry four left-handed relievers heading into their weekend series against the Yankees.

Boston will need to make another roster decision next week, needing a starter on Tuesday, to take Bello’s spot. The Sox could recall Jake Bennett from Triple-A Worcester. Since returning to the minors, the lefty has made four starts, throwing 18 1/3 innings posting a 2.45 ERA.

The Red Sox will be without Bello for the time being. When he pitched for them, he was 2-10 in games he pitched in. Overall, he has a 6.34 ERA in 12 outings (eight starts).

“Like I always say, I’ll work very hard between starts but the results are not there,” he said. “So probably it’s taken a toll but like I’ve always say as well, there’s a new day tomorrow and we’ll be ready to attack the day and prepare for the next one.”

That work will now continue in Worcester, where the Red Sox hope a reset can help Bello rediscover the form that once made him one of the organization’s most promising young starters.

Whether the issue is mechanical, mental, or simply a matter of confidence, Bello will have an opportunity to step away from the spotlight and focus on fixing what’s gone wrong.