At this point, it's become pretty obvious that Bryan Bello's best role with the Boston Red Sox is as a long reliever, not as a starter.
Bello has mostly struggled greatly this season (2-5 record, 6.43 ERA, MLB-leading 67 hits allowed, 1.67 SO/BB ratio, and a 1.796 WHIP in 49 innings pitched), but it hasn't all been bad. He's had some games where he's looked incredible, and it's easy to see what those games had in common: he entered the game in the second inning following an opener.
Boston has used an opener for Bello in three games this season. In those games, he recorded a 0.98 ERA, 17 strikeouts, 16 hits, and three walks in 18.1 innings pitched.
The Dominican Republic native clearly has the talent to be an asset to the Red Sox, but it's evident that the pressure/matchups/struggles against the top hitters on each team make it difficult for him to truly unlock his potential. Fortunately for him and the team, there is one clear solution that can pay dividends in the short- and long-term: move him out of the rotation and commit to him as a long reliever.
The Red Sox need to move Brayan Bello to the bullpen
Bello is already struggling to be a mainstay in Boston's rotation as is, and it's only going to get worse once Garrett Crochet returns from his shoulder injury.
The Red Sox already have a solid rotation of Crochet, Ranger Suarez, Connelly Early, Sonny Gray, and Payton Tolle. It's not perfect, given how many of them are lefties, which doesn't give the team a ton of flexibility or versatility, but all five of them have the makings of being real contributors right away for Boston. Bello does not. At least not right now.
Moving the 27-year-old to the bullpen doesn't have to be a permanent move. It could even just be done for a month or two in order for him to find his groove and confidence again (or maybe until the trade deadline, considering that Boston could move on from someone like Gray if it continues to struggle a couple of months from now... which seems likely). But it seems clear that Bello is not fit to be in the Red Sox' rotation right now, especially when it seems like a guaranteed loss whenever he steps onto the mound in the first inning of a game.
It's too early to give up on Bello, especially considering how good he looked last year (3.35 ERA, 1.236 WHIP across 166.2 innings pitched), but it's clear that something just isn't working right now. And the Red Sox need to make a change to get things back on track before it's too late.
Add us as a preferred source on Google