Red Sox P Bello to start season on IL; Devers' spring debut pushed back

The Boston Red Sox starting rotation took a hit Tuesday when manager Alex Cora announced right-hander Brayan Bello will start the 2025 campaign on the injured list because of shoulder inflammation.

"He's behind. So he's not going to be with us for the Opening Day," Cora said, according to MLB.com's Ian Browne.

"Just doesn't make sense to push him and rush everything and then something major happens. So he's throwing a live BP tomorrow. He's going to be part of it. But he's behind, so we'll take care of him."

Bello, 25, hasn't pitched this spring due to shoulder inflammation. He's only expected to miss one or two turns in the rotation to begin the regular season.

Richard Fitts, Quinn Priester, and Cooper Criswell are fill-in options for the Red Sox rotation, which is set to begin the campaign with Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck, and Walker Buehler as their top three.

While Lucas Giolito is still in line to be Boston's fourth starter, the right-hander left Tuesday's Grapefruit league start against the Philadelphia Phillies with hamstring tightness.

Giolito, who missed last season while recovering from elbow surgery, will undergo an MRI on Wednesday, manager Alex Cora said, according to Ian Browne of MLB.com. However, Cora did not seem too concerned by the development, and Giolito also seemed nonplussed, noting that the issue felt "very minor," according to Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald.

Meanwhile, Rafael Devers had his spring debut pushed back to Saturday, according to Cora. The three-time All-Star was expected to get into his first spring game Wednesday after he spent much of the offseason recovering from shoulder issues.

The 28-year-old has been taking live batting practice and is still expected to be ready for Opening Day.