It has been nine days since the Boston Red Sox made the decision to option much-maligned starter Brayan Bello to Triple-A Worcester. On Saturday afternoon, the 27-year-old made his first start since being sent down. 

Bello did something in his first inning with Worcester that he hadn’t been able to do in his time in Boston: have a clean first inning. Bello retired the first three batters in order via strikeout, ground out, and fly out. 

Overall, Bello threw only 76 pitches through four innings of work, allowing two earned runs on five hits while striking out five,  generating 11 swings and misses in the outing. 

It has been a tumultuous 2026 season for Bello, who saw his role fluctuate between a starter and a bulk reliever. The 27-year-old was one of baseball’s worst pitchers in his eight starts; his 10.35 ERA in 35.2 innings ranked the worst among all starters with at least 30 innings pitched. He did, however, find success in a bulk relief role, posting a 0.71 ERA, holding batters to a .215 average in 25.1 innings across four appearances. 

Unfortunately for Bello, the openers had struggled mightily in front of him, allowing nine earned runs in four innings. 

The Red Sox made the decision to send the veteran to Triple-A after a disastrous performance both on and off the field. After allowing eight earned runs in the Red Sox' 8-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, the 27-year-old defiantly declared himself a big league pitcher who would figure out his problems in the majors. Just hours later, news broke that he would be optioned.  

What exactly Bello needs to do to be recalled remains unclear, but Saturday afternoon was a positive first step. 

It was a bit of an odd start for Red Sox top pitching prospect Anthony Eyanson on Tuesday with Double-A Portland. The 21-year-old allowed one run on one hit while striking out four and walking a season-high five batters. Since his promotion to Portland, Eyanson has allowed just four earned runs on 12 hits while striking out 24 and walking 12 over 20.1 innings, while skyrocketing up prospect rankings. 

It has been a fantastic start to the season for Boston's seventh overall prospect, outfielder Enddy Azocar. Since his promotion to High-A Greenville, the 19-year-old has hit .365/.411/.635/1.046 with two home runs. 

Meanwhile, back in Boston, the Red Sox secured their first series win at Fenway Park since early April with a 6-3 win over the Texas Rangers on Saturday afternoon. They'll go for the series sweep on Sunday night when Connelly Early (5-4, 3.30 ERA) takes the mound opposite Nathan Eovaldi (5-7, 4.26 ERA). First pitch set for 7:20 p.m. ET. 

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