Boston Red Sox fans have longed to hear it... Brayan Bello has finally been sent down to AAA.
And this probably should have happened sooner, but after his latest performance (7 H, 8 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 1 HBP in 5 innings during an 8-2 loss against the Baltimore Orioles on Jun. 4), Boston really, really had no choice but to send Bello down.
And it's a shame, too, because he has the stuff. We've seen him be successful before, even just this season (in four appearances following an opener, Bello has a 0.71 ERA, a 0.91 WHIP, and a 22:3 K:BB ratio in 25.1 innings pitched). But it's clear that he either has a huge confidence issue he just can't seem to overcome, or he's just not good enough to regularly face the top of the order at the start of games.
In either case, sending the 27-year-old down to the minors for at least a little while is the best course of action for both sides. However, if Bello doesn't turn it around with the WooSox, then there's a very real possibility he has already played his final game for Boston.
Brayan Bello seems uninterested in a full-time bullpen role
After his disasterclass against Baltimore, Bello spoke pretty bluntly about not wanting to be a full-time reliever.
"First of all, just stop talking about bullpen and starting games. I've always been a starter and when I've been successful as a starter, no one has questioned whether I have to be in the bullpen or starting games. So, starting from there, just stop that talk, I'm just having a bad season," Bello said via his translator.
This is pretty unfortunate, given that this is far and away his best opportunity to actually stay in Boston for the foreseeable future. He already looks like the odd man out in this rotation, and that's not even factoring in the absence of Garrett Crochet, who has been out of action since Apr. 25 due to a shoulder/lat injury.
But at the same time, it has become a guaranteed loss every time Bello steps onto the mound at the start of a game. In his eight starts this season (all losses, by the way), he has given up two or more runs in every one of them. That includes him giving up seven runs to the Atlanta Braves in 5 innings on May 17 and eight runs against the Baltimore Orioles... twice (Thursday's game, and Apr. 24, when he gave up eight runs in 3.1 innings).
At this point, it's fair to wonder what Bello's future in Boston looks like, if he even has one. It would be easy to say just trade him away, but his value is at an all-time low right now, and it's hard to imagine any team being willing to take on his contract. And if he can't turn things around in the minors, then the Red Sox may have no reason to ever give him another opportunity down the line either.
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