Red Sox's Brayan Bello: Ramps up against minor leaguers
Rotowire
Bello (forearm) threw three innings for Double-A Portland on a back field Friday.
Bello increased his pitch count to 42 and will continue to ramp up in minor-league games before the Red Sox activate him. He's expected to join Boston's starting rotation in mid-to-late April.
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Red Sox's Brayan Bello: Beginning season on IL
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Bello (forearm) will begin the regular season on the 10-day injured list as he builds up for a starter's workload, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.
As expected, Bello, who battled forearm tightness earlier in the spring, will spend at least a couple more weeks building up for the regular season. Once ready, the right-handed prospect figures to enter Boston's rotation and build upon his rookie campaign in 2022, when he posted a 4.71 ERA and 1.78 WHIP in 57.1 innings.
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Red Sox's Brayan Bello: Fans three in debut
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Bello (forearm) struck out three over two scoreless and hitless relief innings in Sunday's spring game against the Phillies.
Bello made his Grapefruit League debut after dealing with forearm tightness at the start of spring training. The right-hander soothed any concerns Sunday, when he set down all six batters faced over 25 pitches. According to Ian Browne of MLB.com, this might be Bello's last Grapefruit League outing. The Red Sox are expected to place him on the injured list to start the regular season and want to allocate innings to those pitchers that will break camp on the major-league roster. In the meantime, Bello can build up his pitch count on the back fields against minor-league opponents.
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Red Sox's Brayan Bello: Spring debut coming Sunday
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Bello (forearm) will make his spring debut Sunday, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.
He threw two innings on the backfields Wednesday and is scheduled to throw another couple innings Sunday after Nick Pivetta exits. It was reported back on March 4 that Bello was unlikely to be able to ramp up in time to make the Opening Day roster, but that is yet to be officially determined.
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Red Sox's Brayan Bello: Set for game action Wednesday
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Bello (forearm) is scheduled to throw two innings during a minor-league spring game Wednesday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
The 23-year-old progressed to facing live hitters over the weekend and will now advance to game action. Bello threw 17 pitches during Saturday's session of live BP, so he still has significant ramping up to do before he's cleared for a full workload. The right-hander could begin the season on the injured list, though it doesn't appear his absence would be a lengthy one.
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Red Sox's Brayan Bello: Throws inning of live BP
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Bello (forearm) threw an inning of live batting practice Saturday, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.
Bello fired off 17 pitches to batters and is next expected to throw two innings of batting practice Wednesday. His first spring start is targeted for March 19 or 20. As such, Bello is expected to open the season on the injured list.
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Red Sox's Brayan Bello: Ready for live batting practice
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Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Bello (forearm) will throw live batting practice Saturday, Mike Monaco of ESPN reports.
Bello first started feeling soreness in his right forearm back in mid-February, although he's been pain-free for a while. The young right-hander is not expected to be ready in time for Opening Day, but being ready to face hitters means he's making real progress. He should be able to get in a Grapefruit League start or two before spring training ends.
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Red Sox's Brayan Bello: May miss Opening Day
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Bello (forearm) is unlikely to make the Opening Day roster, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.
The right-handed prospect first felt forearm soreness in a mid-February bullpen session and has been behind schedule ever since. Recent updates have suggested Bello is issue-free now, but the lost time in February was likely enough to delay his buildup and make Opening Day an unrealistic goal.
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Red Sox's Brayan Bello: Clearer timetable next week
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Bello's (forearm) status and timetable are expected to become clearer next week, Red Sox manager Alex Cora told Ian Browne of MLB.com Thursday.
Bello had some right forearm soreness crop up in mid-February, though he resumed throwing off a mound last weekend and hasn't had any issues since then. Realistically, he's running short on time to get built up for Boston's rotation, but if he needs an injured list stint to begin the season it doesn't seem like it would be a long one. With Bello and Garrett Whitlock (hip) a little behind in camp, it could open up a rotation spot for Tanner Houck, at least initially.
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Red Sox's Brayan Bello: Throwing again
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Bello (forearm) said Thursday he "feels way better" and believes he's on track to be ready for the start of the regular season, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.
Bello, who was shut down for nearly a week after experiencing tightness in his forearm, resumed throwing Monday, although he isn't yet working off a mound. "I'm just trying to stretch my arm and trying to get it stretched enough so I can start the bullpens (again)," Bello said. He also talked about his offseason work on his curveball, of which he threw just five in 2022. The goal is to make it slower; that pitch averaged 80.2 mph last season, per Baseball Savant, but he'd like it sitting in the 75 to 79 mph range. The 23-year-old right-hander posted a 4.71 ERA (2.93 FIP) over 13 outings, including 11 starts. Bello was especially good in September, pitching to a 2.59 ERA in six starts.
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Red Sox's Brayan Bello: Extends progression
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Bello (forearm) played catch from 75 feet Tuesday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Bello was shut down for nearly a week before playing catch Monday. He extended the session Tuesday, with manager Alex Cora indicating everything went well. Bello, one of seven candidates for the rotation, is expected to take a little longer than the rest to join the spring rotation.
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Red Sox's Brayan Bello: Throws from flat ground
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Bello (forearm) threw off flat ground Monday.
This marks the first time Bello has thrown a baseball in nearly a week after the right-hander experienced tightness following a side session. Boston manager Alex Cora said the club will evaluate Bello on Tuesday before determining a next step.
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Red Sox's Brayan Bello: Set to throw Monday
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Manager Alex Cora said Bello (forearm) "will be ready" to throw off flat ground Monday, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.
The 23-year-old was recently shut down from throwing after he experienced some soreness in his forearm during a bullpen session, but he'll quickly restart his throwing program. Bello could return to the mound later in the week if all goes well during Monday's session.
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Red Sox's Brayan Bello: Nursing forearm soreness
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Bello has been shut down after feeling soreness in his right forearm during his last bullpen session, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said it's "nothing to alarm" and that there are no current plans to have imaging taken of Bello's arm. "We're very confident Monday he's back on his throwing program," Cora added. It's good to hear that the club is optimistic this isn't a long-term concern, but any arm-related issue obviously is a little worrisome. More should be known about Bello's status next week.
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Red Sox's Brayan Bello: Hit hard in Toronto
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Bello (2-8) took the loss Saturday, allowing four runs on 10 hits and two walks over four innings against the Blue Jays. He struck out four.
Bello allowed an RBI single and a two-run double from Danny Jansen en route to putting Boston in a 4-0 deficit through three innings. Prior to this outing, the righty had allowed three runs or fewer in seven straight starts. The 23-year-old has pitched six innings or more just twice during his rookie campaign.
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Red Sox's Brayan Bello: Tough-luck loser
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Bello (2-7) took the loss during Sunday's 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Yankees, allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits and two walks with four strikeouts in six innings.
Bello surrendered one run on two hits in the fourth inning and another run on an error in the sixth before the game prematurely ended due to weather. Despite three losses in his last five starts, the 23-year-old has compiled a stellar 1.65 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 27.1 innings this month. Bello sports a 4.39 ERA and 1.69 WHIP with 51 strikeouts in 53.1 innings across 12 games and six starts. He's scheduled to take the mound again next weekend in Toronto.
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Red Sox's Brayan Bello: Navigates trouble in win
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Bello (2-6) earned the victory Tuesday in Cincinnati, striking out five in five innings while allowing a run on eight hits and two walks.
Bello was able to pitch his way out of jams all game. At one point seven out of 11 Cincinnati batters reached base but only one came around to score -- TJ Friedl on his solo homer. The home run was the first Bello's allowed in 47.1 big-league innings. Since joining Boston's rotation Aug. 24, he's posted a 2.67 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 32:12 K:BB in 30.1 innings across six starts.
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Red Sox's Brayan Bello: Earns first big-league win
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Bello (1-4) picked up the win Saturday, allowing three hits and one walk over six scoreless innings against the Rangers. He struck out five.
The 23-year-old earned his first career win in his eighth major-league appearance (sixth start). A top pitching prospect in the organization, Bello has endured his fair share of growing pains this season. He should be considered a volatile option, though Bello may finally be finding his footing at the big-league level.
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Red Sox's Brayan Bello: Falls to 0-4
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Bello (0-4) yielded three runs on five hits and three walks over four innings Monday, striking out two and taking a loss against the Twins.
Bello worked through three scoreless frames before Minnesota finally broke through in the fourth on Jake Cave's RBI sacrifice fly. The 23-year-old rookie was charged with two more runs in the fifth after he put two runners on base without recording an out and was removed. Bello's ERA now sits at an unsightly 7.27 with a 24:15 K:BB through 26 innings. For now, he's projected to face the Rangers at home this weekend.
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Red Sox's Brayan Bello: Strikes out seven in no-decision
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Bello allowed two runs on six hits, one walk and seven strikeouts over five innings in Wednesday's 3-2 extra-inning loss versus Toronto. He did not factor in the decision.
In his first start since completing an IL stint due to a groin injury, Bello turned in the best outing of his young career. He needed just 65 pitches to get through five innings and set a season high in strikeouts with seven. He will likely face the Twins next week if he sticks in the rotation.
