Red Sox's Brayan Bello Replacement Arrives to Avoid Rays Sweep

The Boston Red Sox are trying to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays.

May 7, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Jake Bennett (64) delivers a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Since the Boston Red Sox announced that they were demoting Brayan Bello down to Triple-A, there has been speculation and rumors pointing towards No. 6 prospect Jake Bennett being the likely answer to fill his spot in the rotation.

Well, it doesn't have to be speculated about any longer. Bennett is joining the big league club and will toe the rubber on Wednesday afternoon for the Red Sox as they try to avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays. Boston announced the news on X on Wednesday morning and also shared that lefty Alec Gamboa was being optioned down to Triple-A.

"The Red Sox today recalled LHP Jake Bennett from Triple-A Worcester. To make room, Boston optioned LHP Alec Gamboa to Triple-A Worcester," the Red Sox announced.

The #RedSox today recalled LHP Jake Bennett from Triple-A Worcester. To make room, Boston optioned LHP Alec Gamboa to Triple-A Worcester.

— Red Sox (@RedSox) June 10, 2026

The Red Sox Made The Right Call

May 1, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Jake Bennett (64) pitches against the Houston Astros during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

This is the right move and was pretty obvious from the second it was announced that Bello would be going down to Triple-A. Bennett is having an awesome season in his first campaign in the Boston organization. He has a 1.60 ERA in nine starts down in Triple-A and a 4.35 ERA in two big league starts as well. He made his big league debut on May 1 and pitched five innings against a very good Houston Astros lineup and allowed just one earned run and got the win.

His second career start in the majors came on May 7 against the Rays. That day, Bennett allowed four earned runs in 5 1/3 innings pitched.

With Boston already cutting into its pitching depth, like with Payton Tolle in the big leagues, there wasn't an option at the top of the minors that made more sense than Bennett. Jack Anderson has made seven starts in Triple-A and has a 4.39 ERA. He's been up to the majors this season out of the bullpen. If Patrick Sandoval was ready to roll, he'd be an option, but that just isn't the case right now. He's on a minor league rehab assignment down in Triple-A, but isn't ready to roll just yet.

So, the obvious option was promoting Bennett and the club made the right call.

Boston dropped the first two games of its three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays. Both were disappointing. Boston lost 3-1 on Monday and 4-3 on Tuesday. The Red Sox were close, but being close doesn't matter in the standings. Now, the Red Sox are 11 games below .500 and trying to avoid another sweep.