‘I’ll never not love this game’: Brayan Bello refocusing after demotion to Triple-A

WORCESTER — Brayan Bello laughed, smiled, and penned plenty of autographs on Sunday. It’s a reality far different from what had transpired almost 72 hours before.

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Bello did not crack a smirk and was a bit brash the last time he spoke publicly, even if his interpreter filtered out some of his words. He gave up six runs in the first inning, and eight in total in an 8-2 loss to the Orioles.

A refreshed version of the fifth-year pitcher spoke in the Polar Park home dugout in his first appearance since being optioned to Triple-A Worcester.

“I feel much better today, feeling like I’m ready to do what I need to do down here, so I can go back to the show,” Bello said via an interpreter.

The Bello that showed up after the weekend off is much like the big personality Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow made it clear he expected Bello to return to upon his demotion.

“One of the things that we asked him to do was to fall in love with baseball all over again,” Breslow told reporters on Friday.

Breslow’s comments drew plenty of headlines, as the notion that a major-leaguer had fallen out of love with the game would be concerning.

It could be insulting to a player, but when Bello was asked about it, he chuckled. Much like he asserted his standing as a starter on Thursday, he made it clear his passion wasn’t, and has never been the issue.

“I’ll never not love this game,” Bello said. “It’s a game that I’ve done since I was very little. I’ve always had that love and passion, and I think that’s why I take it to heart when we do lose games, or I do pitch not my best because I love this game so much.”

So what went wrong this season?

In the first inning, he has surrendered 15 runs and carries a 16.88 ERA. To alleviate the early struggles, the Red Sox tried him as a bulk-inning reliever..

Bello didn’t initially pinpoint a reason for his struggles, but said he just wants to “get better.”

But, as he firmly stated in his Thursday press conference, he expected to make these adjustments as a major-league pitcher.

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Outside of rehab assignments, he hadn’t been demoted since 2023. Furthermore, the Red Sox were hours away from departing for a series with the Yankees, which was supposed to include time with his family.

It was the perfect time for the struggling pitcher to hit the reset button — until it wasn’t.

“We were all set up to get ready to go up there,” Bello said. “So when I got the unfortunate news, I shed some tears, got a little emotional.”

With the extra time at home, he still spent time with family, but more than anything he rested and recovered mentally. Even with his previous comments, he expressed no frustration with management for the decision.

“Whatever decisions they make I think are the ones that I have to follow,” Bello said.

Bello said he’s scheduled to work with a “special someone” to refine his mentality and mechanics, though he declined to reveal that person’s identity.

Bello’s support systemcould be key in him returning to the major leagues, but so could the fans.

On Thursday, fans booed him. This time around, a small crowd flooded him with “Bello!” chants, offered words of encouragement, and even claimed it was their birthday as he signed autographs.

Being sent to Worcester might’ve seemed like a new low, but the fans made it clear they’re with the Dominican pitcher.

“One thing that’s never missing is how hard I work,” Bello said. “The amount of work that I put into what I do is super important to me, and to the fans, I’m looking forward to doing what I got to do down here, so that I can go back up there, and we can continue having the fun times that we’ve had in the past.”

Bello said he’ll be making his first start next Thursday against the Rochester Red Wings.

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