Red Sox Taking Cautious Approach With Promising Young Pitcher

Friday was not kind to Boston Red Sox pitchers at Spring Training.

First Nick Pivetta had to stop throwing and leave the field with an illness/potential injury. Then it was revealed that Brayan Bello was dealing with an injury as well.

Red Sox Injury News

Bello, who is experiencing soreness in his right (throwing) forearm), will be shut down from throwing for the weekend, according to manager Alex Cora. Cora is optimistic that Bello will be able to resume his throwing program on Monday after a few days off, by which point the soreness will have hopefully dissipated.

The Red Sox are understandably being extra cautious with their 23-year-old hurler, who was regarded as the organization's top pitching prospect before being called up last summer. He showed flashes of promise during his rookie season and is expected to open 2023 in Boston's rotation.

The Red Sox want to make sure he's healthy first, however, and properly built up for what will be his first full season in the big leagues. Bello only threw 57 1/3 MLB innings last year, but Boston's hoping for around 150 innings from him this year.

Hopefully, this is just a minor setback for Bello and not a recurring problem. The Red Sox already have too many pitchers with age/injury concerns on their staff (Chris Sale, James Paxton, Corey Kluber etc.), so they're counting on Bello to be one of their few young, healthy starters this season.