​NEW YORK — Just over five weeks after he was demoted to Triple-A Worcester to start the season on a rough note, Brayan Bello is rejoining the Red Sox on Sunday in a different, longer-armed role for at least one day. Sources confirm that Bello has been called up to join the bullpen as a long relief option for the series finale against the Mets (and for the first half of the game), taking the spot of veteran lefty Danny Coulombe, who was designated for assignment following Saturday’s win.
As Boston pursues its ninth straight victory, rookie left-hander Payton Tolle is projected to start on Sunday. After employing five different pitchers to assemble a bullpen game in a 4-0 win on Saturday, the Red Sox need a long man who can cover multiple innings should the situation demand it. Bello, who has not pitched at Triple-A since July 1, will serve in a multi-inning capacity behind Tolle, who is expected to have a shorter outing than usual as Boston monitors his workload ahead of the All-Star break.
Bello, who declined to speak with reporters before the game, could piggyback off Tolle. Interim manager Chad Tracy explained that the team’s current bullpen strain drove the decision: “The big thing is… over the last handful of days, how short we are bullpen-wise. It’s to make sure we have that amount of bullets down there and have coverage to get through the game. We’ll see. It depends on, is there gonna be a bridge needed? Is there going to be coverage at the back end (of the bullpen) or an extra-inning game? We’ll see how it plays out.”
Bello has made 97 starts for the Red Sox over the past four seasons and was the club’s No. 2 starter during their 2025 postseason run. His season began in perplexing fashion, bottoming out on June 4 when he was shelled for eight runs against the Orioles at Fenway Park. Following that outing, he was sent to Worcester, where he posted a 4.34 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings across four starts. In Worcester, he has worked with pitching coach Dan DeLucia to refine his pitch mix in hopes of earning another promotion.
“His work ethic has been great,” Tracy said. “He’s done everything they’ve asked. He’s put in a lot of work taking down the starts he’s supposed to take down. He comes out the next day and he’s ready to get to work in between starts.”
That opportunity has arrived, though in an unexpected form. With a starter need on Saturday, Boston promoted lefty Eduardo Rivera for his first major-league start; Rivera delivered 3 2/3 shutout innings, while Bello’s Worcester start was pushed back a day as a contingency plan for Sunday. Bello also remains a candidate to start for the Red Sox on Friday when Boston schedules a doubleheader with the Rays to begin the second half of the season. The Red Sox face a balancing act as they weigh bullpen depth, potential bridge starts, and the possibility of extra-inning games as they chart a path through the rest of the season’s early stretch.