Overview
- Following Monday’s 11-1 win over Arizona, Bello worked 4 2/3 innings of one-run relief to extend a run of long, effective outings that have reshaped his season.
- Since returning from a five-week demotion to Triple-A Worcester in mid-July, Bello has been used exclusively in multi-inning relief and owns a 0.85 ERA that is the lowest among qualified relievers.
- Bello’s peripherals have improved sharply with the role change, as he has walked four, struck out 23 and held opponents to a .189 average and a .495 OPS in his post-recall sample.
- His velocity and sinker have ticked up into the mid- to high-90s, a jump teammates say has made his two-strike command and strikeout ability more consistent.
- The Red Sox are deploying Bello to eat innings and preserve the rotation and rookie pitchers now, and the club will revisit whether he returns to the starting staff in the future given his contract through 2029.