FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Slowed by right shoulder inflammation in the early weeks of camp, Red Sox righty Brayan Bello took a big step forward on Friday when he threw a bullpen session that he hopes will be a springboard toward being able to start the season on time.
As Bello threw roughly 30 pitches at about 70 to 75 percent intensity, his mentor surveyed the scene with a proud nod.
That mentor is Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez, who told Bello to resist the urge to try to impress anyone during his first bullpen of Spring Training.
“I don’t want any setbacks,” Martinez said. “That was my main concern. I said, 'You can’t afford to have another setback.' I made sure that he's not overly excited. I explained that to him way before.
“There’s no rush for him trying to kill it in the first bullpen, and I pretty much just explained that from my own experience. Yeah, sometimes you want to show a little bit too much early. And also, I don't blame him for that. He’s young and energetic, and [young pitchers] want to do too much sometimes, and they forget that tomorrow is right there for them too.”
Though he is up against it to be ready in time for the start of the season, Bello plans on being on the 26-man roster that takes the field on Opening Day in Arlington against the Rangers on March 27.
“The trainers are telling me that I'm right on track as long as I just keep doing my work that I've been doing. Just getting ready for that,” said Bello.
Unlike in 2024, when Bello got the Opening Day nod in Seattle, that turn will likely go to Garrett Crochet this season, though there’s been no announcement from manager Alex Cora.
A rotation last year that counted heavily on Bello and fellow 20-something pitchers Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford has now been supplemented with an emerging ace in Crochet, plus veteran free-agent acquisition Walker Buehler and another veteran who didn’t pitch last season due to elbow surgery in Lucas Giolito.
“Well, the biggest deal for [Bello] is that Giolito, Buehler and Crochet -- all those guys are going to take pressure off of him,” Martinez said. “Remember last year, he was the Opening Day guy, and that’s a lot of pressure for a kid who is still just coming into the league. That's very unusual.
“He’s going to get to enjoy and watch and learn from them every single day. He can feed off those guys and see how they approach different hitters and how they handle themselves. Watching true aces go out there and how they handle themselves, I think that experience is going to be the biggest and most important thing for him.”
It was noted that not even Martinez was at the height of his powers entering his third full season.
“I wasn’t,” said Martinez. “I wasn't even close.”
Meanwhile, Bello remains grateful to have someone of Martinez’s stature so invested in his progression.
“It feels great to have Pedro here,” said Bello. “I’ve been talking to him for a while, even before coming here to Spring Training, talking about mechanics. Having a guy like that is a privilege. Not everyone has that chance to learn from one of the greats.”
Camp notes
? Masataka Yoshida, coming off right labrum surgery on his shoulder, has been cleared to play in Grapefruit League games as the DH. However, he is still early into his throwing program, extending his distance on Friday to 45 feet. While Yoshida was used almost exclusively as a DH last season, Cora would like for him to get some reps in the outfield this season to make the roster more functional. That is why it is iffy that Yoshida will be ready for Opening Day.
? The Red Sox had the makings of a very strong alumni team during Friday’s workout. The legendary David Ortiz was in uniform for the first time this spring and spent some time talking to Rafael Devers. Martinez was monitoring several side sessions. Dwight Evans and Jim Rice were also roaming around the complex lending a hand. And Brock Holt stopped by for some appearances on behalf of the team and said that he wants to be Cora’s associate manager for home games this weekend.