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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – AUGUST 23: Brayan Bello #66 of the Boston Red Sox walks off of the field after being taken out of a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the sixth inning at Fenway Park on August 23, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)

Brayan Bello was the Opening Day starter for the Boston Red Sox to begin the 2024 regular season, firing five innings of five-hit, two-run ball to earn the victory in a 6-4 win against the Seattle Mariners.

With all signs pointing toward new ace Garrett Crochet toeing the rubber when the Red Sox play the Texas Rangers on March 27 to kick off the 2025 campaign, Bello wasn’t expected to get the Opening Day nod again anyway, but now, it appears that the 25-year-old’s status for early days of the season is very much in doubt due to lingering shoulder soreness. Manager Alex Cora gave an update on the situation on Saturday morning.

“Bello increasingly looking unlikely ready for Opening Day. Cora: ‘He’s behind’ Still progressing well,” WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford posted on social media.

Bello has yet to appear in any of Boston’s Spring Training games and could start the year on the injured list.

This comes on the heels of Friday’s news that Gold Glove right fielder Wilyer Abreu was also unlikely to be on the Opening Day roster.

Bello Has Shown Plenty of Inconsistency Over First 2 Seasons

Bello signed with the Red Sox in July 2017 at just 18 years old and made his big-league debut five years later on July 6, 2022.

Listed at just 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds and featuring an above-average changeup, the Dominican righty drew comparisons to Red Sox Hall of Fame legend Pedro Martinez when he made his way through the minor leagues but has been inconsistent over his first two-plus seasons.

After struggling to a 2-8 record with a 4.71 ERA and 1.77 WHIP over 13 games (11 starts) in 2022, Bello improved to 12-11 with a 4.24 ERA and 1.33 WHIP across 157 innings pitched covering 28 games (all starts) in 2023. When Bello was hit, he was hit hard though, surrendering 9.5 hits per nine innings and a career-high 24 home runs (1.4 home runs per nine innings).

He was Boston’s default ace in a weak starting group last year, and at times, looked the part. Bello finished 2024 with a 14-8 mark, 1.36 WHIP and 153 strikeouts over 162 1/2 innings pitched in 30 starts. His ERA increased to 4.49 though and while he allowed fewer home runs (19), he had control issues at times, with his numbers of walks ballooning to 64 and hits batsmen going up to 11.

Other Candidates to Fill Bello’s Rotation Spot

With Bello looking increasingly likely to open the year, at the very least, unavailable for the first time through the rotation, Boston will have options to fill his spot.

MLB.com’s Ian Browne opined this week that candidates for the post include 25-year-old Richard Fitts and 24-year-old Quinn Priester.

Fitts was selected by the rival-New York Yankees in the sixth round of the 2021 MLB June Amateur Draft, traded to the Red Sox in December 2023 and debuted in the big leagues with four starts last season. He went 0-1 and allowed 19 hits, six runs (four earned) with seven walks and nine strikeouts over 20 2/3 innings.

Priester is a former first-round pick (18th overall) of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2019 and made 20 appearances with the team between 2023 and 2024 before being sent to Beantown last July. Priester finished last season 3-6 with a 4.71 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 33 strikeouts over 49 2/3 innings pitched covering 11 games (seven starts).

He made just one appearance with Boston, starting and winning the team’s regular-season finale against the Tampa Bay Rays by completing five innings and allowing one run on four hits with one walk and two strikeouts.

Fitts, Priester or whomever takes Bello’s spot in the rotation (if he is indeed out), is projected to slot in behind Crochet, 2024 All-Star Tanner Houck, two-time All-Star (and new acquisition) Walker Buehler and one-time All-Star Lucas Giolito.

Victor Barbosa covers MLB and the NBA for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Boston Red Sox and Boston Celtics. He previously covered the NBA and NFL for Heavy in 2021, with an emphasis on the Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers and Buffalo Bills. Based in New York, he has covered local and professional sports news for Yardbarker, FanSided, Syracuse.com and WEEI. More about Victor Barbosa