Red Sox's Brayan Bello Assesses Return to MLB Amid 9-Game Win Streak

Bello's 4 1/3-inning standout outing deserves applause

Jul 12, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Brayan Bello (66) pitches in the sixth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Brayan Bello's return to the major leagues on Sunday had to be considered a giant success.

In 4 1/3 innings of bulk relief, the Boston Red Sox's 27-year-old righty allowed just one earned run and struck out five batters against the reeling New York Mets. Though Bello left the game with the Red Sox trailing 2-0, Boston strung together a rally in the top of the ninth to tie things up and eventually won 3-2 on an Anthony Seigler sacrifice fly in the 10th.

Bello's demotion to Triple-A was one of the low points of the early season for Boston, and it was clear in addition to his obvious struggles on the mound, his head wasn't in the right place. Sunday's outing was a step in the right direction, but it also left the rest of his season in a confusing place.

Bello's reaction to outing vs. Mets

Worcester’s Brayan Bello pitches against Toledo June 25 at Polar Park. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

After declining to speak to the media before Sunday's game, Bello kept things brief and positive, quelling a potential fear that some in the organization theoretically could have had about him questioning the decision to send him down on June 5.

“It was really good execution today,” said Bello, per Ian Browne of MLB.com. “I was competing in the strike zone. It felt good. Long time in the Minor Leagues, but it felt great to be back in the big leagues.”

Bello's ERA as a reliever actually rose in this game -- to 0.91 in 29 2/3 innings. He's put up a 10.35 ERA, however, in his eight outings as a starter. And now, the Red Sox have to decide whether he sticks around in the majors after the All-Star break.

On Friday, after four days off, the Red Sox will play a doubleheader against the Tampa Bay Rays. That means they'll get an extra roster spot for the two games, which could be an easy excuse to keep Bello around, and perhaps even use him on the mound.

But when the roster goes back down to 26 on Saturday, will Bello still be a part of the equation? The Boston pitching staff was humming without him, including a recent streak of 12 straight quality starts, and it's hard to see Bello bumping anyone out of the rotation.