Inside The Red Sox

Red Sox Give Critical Brayan Bello Status Update For 2025 Opening Day

The Sox need Bello ready to go from the jump...
Jackson Roberts|
Sep 9, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Brayan Bello (66) throws a pitch against the Baltimore Orioles in the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
Sep 9, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Brayan Bello (66) throws a pitch against the Baltimore Orioles in the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

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Boston Red Sox

Starting pitching depth looked to be one of the Boston Red Sox's newfound strengths heading into the 2025 season, and it's being tested during spring training.

Kutter Crawford is still dealing with knee soreness from last season and looks like a long shot for Opening Day. Lucas Giolito hasn't pitched in a game since suffering an elbow injury last March. And early in camp, Brayan Bello has been dealing with shoulder soreness.

If Crawford is out and Giolito is in, the Red Sox will still need Bello to complete a five-man rotation without including anyone who spent time at Triple-A last season. Otherwise, it will likely be Cooper Criswell, Quinn Priester, and Richard Fitts duking it out for the fifth slot.

So as Mar. 27 in Arlington, Tex. continues to creep closer, Boston gave an important status update on Bello ahead of Wednesday's spring training action.

According to Christopher Smith of MassLive, the Red Sox still believe, as of Wednesday, that Bello will be ready for Opening Day. He will throw a bullpen session on Friday, per manager Alex Cora.

"The bullpen is huge on Friday," Cora said, per Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.

Bello, 25, went 14-8 with a 4.48 ERA in 30 starts last season. He started the year strong before missing a few weeks with lat tightness, then struggled upon his return before eventually righting the ship in August and September,.

When the Red Sox gave Bello a $55 million contract extension last spring, they did so with the belief that he could be the homegrown ace they haven't had since Jon Lester. Tanner Houck also took steps toward becoming that ace last season, but Bello's youth and electric stuff still give him the best chance.

Getting off to an on-time start to the 2025 season would be a good omen that Bello's highly-anticipated breakout season is finally arriving.

More MLB: Red Sox No. 2 Prospect Surprisingly Predicted To Wait Until 2028 For Oft-Debated Role

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Jackson Roberts
JACKSON ROBERTS

Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Boston Red Sox On SI, please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org

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