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Jeff Passan explained why the Red Sox should be concerned about Brayan Bello

The Boston Red Sox have been one of the worst teams in the majors so far in the 2026 campaign, and the peculiar decision to fire manager Alex Cora and several members of his coaching staff hasn’t changed that. Simply put, the Red Sox’s lineup is devoid of any sort of consistent run production, so when their pitching staff doesn’t deliver the goods, the team struggles.

Making matters worse, the starting rotation is already getting torched by injuries. While youngsters Connelly Early and Payton Tolle are holding down the fort, one of the guys who initially began the year in the rotation, Brayan Bello, has been one of the worst pitchers in the league. And if you ask MLB insider Jeff Passan of ESPN, there’s good reason to be concerned about Bello’s slow start to the season.

Why Red Sox Should Be Worried About Brayan Bello

Bello is now in his fifth season in the majors, and while he’s been a decent middle-of-the-rotation arm, he’s never really managed to reach his full potential. The 2025 campaign was the most complete of Bello’s young career (11-9, 3.35 ERA, 124 K, 1.24 WHIP), but even then, many of his underlying metrics were rather concerning.

The floor has dropped out from underneath Bello this season, as he has gotten hammered whenever he has taken the mound. Through his first six starts, Bello has posted a 1-4 record with a hideous 9.12 ERA. Bello’s 26 earned runs allowed is the highest figure in the league, which is made even more impressive when considering he’s only been on the mound for 25.2 innings.

Throughout his career, Bello has never really been a strikeout machine, but this season, he is struggling to induce weak contact when opponents are putting the ball in play. As Passan recently pointed out, that’s likely due in large part to Bello’s fastball velocity dipping from 95.7 mph to 91.7 mph over the past two seasons, and unless something changes soon, it seems like he could be stuck in a painful cycle of struggles.

“Over the past two years, Bello’s fastball velocity has dipped from 95.7 mph to 93.6 to 91.7,” Passan wrote. “In today’s game, a 92-mph fastball will be obliterated, and Bello learned that the hard way, with the Yankees tagging him for five home runs among 13 hits he allowed two starts ago. The scariest part: Bello is owed $44.5 million for the 2027-29 seasons.”

What Should the Red Sox Do with Brayan Bello?

GettyST LOUIS, MISSOURI – APRIL 12: Brayan Bello #66 of the Boston Red Sox pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals in the first inning at Busch Stadium on April 12, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images)

In a perfect world, the Red Sox would shift Bello to the bullpen or demote him to the minors so that he can figure things out. The problem is that, for the time being, the team has no other options to turn to when it comes to its starting rotation. Garrett Crochet and Sonny Gray are both on the injured list, and guys like Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval don’t seem particularly close to making their season debuts.

For now, Bello has the freedom to figure things out in the majors, but that could change quickly once either Crochet or Gray gets healthy. With Early and Tolle actually holding their own in the majors, there’s no reason for either of them to get sent back down to Triple-A if Bello continues to get lit up every time he takes the mound. Boston has a real issue on its hands with Bello, and it may need a miracle in order to salvage him at this point.