​NEW YORK — For most of the week, the Red Sox weighed the option of promoting Brayan Bello to the majors to fill the rotation spot created by Ranger Suarez’s injury ahead of Saturday’s game against the Mets. In the end, Boston chose a different path. The club announced that left-hander Eduardo Rivera will start Saturday’s contest after being summoned from Triple-A, marking Rivera’s second major league start. To clear a roster space for Rivera, the Sox optioned infielder Brett Harris back to Worcester.
Suarez departed Sunday night’s start in Anaheim with a left groin strain, and the team initially hoped he could avoid the injured list and make his next turn in the rotation. By Thursday, it was clear that his progress hadn’t met expectations, and he was placed on the injured list, opening a spot in the rotation for Saturday.
Bello, who owns a 4.34 ERA and a 22-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio through four starts (18 ⅔ innings) since being sent to Worcester in early June, had been kept out of the WooSox rotation all week after his last outing in Syracuse on July 1. He is expected to return to the mound at Polar Park on Saturday. Late in the week, Red Sox officials signaled reluctance to interrupt Bello’s reset at Triple-A to address a short-term need at the big league level, which led to Rivera getting the chance instead.
Rivera, a 6-foot-7, 237-pound left-hander from Puerto Rico, previously made an emergency jump from Double-A to the majors for his debut on April 22 against the Yankees, delivering a strong relief outing with one hit allowed and three strikeouts over 3 ⅓ scoreless innings before being optioned to Triple-A. With Worcester, Rivera has posted a 2.84 ERA and 46 strikeouts across 38 innings in 20 games (two starts). He sits at No. 18 on SoxProspects’ ranking of Boston’s farm system.
However, Rivera isn’t likely to deliver a traditional starter’s line Saturday, having not recorded more than seven outs in any outing since May 7. His last appearance for Worcester came Wednesday, needing 29 pitches to navigate 2 ⅓ innings. The days immediately prior featured a 25-pitch outing on July 5 and a 32-pitch session three days earlier. Hence, the Red Sox are probably aiming to deploy Rivera as an opener for two or three innings, with Ryan Watson and Jovani Morán as possible multi-inning options behind him in a bullpen-styled plan.
Bello, who struggled to a 6.34 ERA over 61 big-league innings before his demotion on June 4, carried a 10.35 ERA over 10 starts in the big leagues, though his performance improved after he anchored four outings as part of an opener sequence, posting a 0.71 ERA over 25 ⅓ innings. Most of Bello’s difficulties came early, when he allowed 15 runs and 19 hits in eight first-inning frames.
Harris, acquired in a minor trade with Oakland last week, was recalled Thursday to take Suarez’s roster spot. He appeared in one game as Boston carried an extra position player while Willson was away, a move made in part to preserve flexibility for the lineup in the wake of recent injuries. The Red Sox are navigating a delicate balance between preserving long-term development and meeting immediate needs, opting for Rivera’s opener approach while Bello remains in the wings for a future turn in the rotation.