The Boston Red Sox continue to be hit with the injury bug, as pitcher Brayan Bello was placed on the 10-day IL on Wednesday, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com:

“Brayan Bello to the IL with right lat tightness. Zack Kelly is up.”

Last month, the Red Sox agreed to sign Bello to a massive contract extension worth $55 million over six years.

Bello has been a huge part of the future of the organization since being signed. They initially signed him as an international free agent in 2017 and Bello has made a rise up the system, so the Red Sox finding a way to lock in a homegrown talent is a huge deal for the franchise.

The 24-year-old from the Dominican Republic had an up-and-down rookie year in 2022, posting a 2-8 record with a 4.71 ERA in 11 starts. In 2023, Bello did much better, registering a 12-11 record with a 4.24 ERA in 28 starts for the Red Sox.

Bello was Boston's starting pitcher on Opening Day when the Red Sox opened the season in Seattle against the Mariners. Bello earned the win in that game.

On the season, Bello is 3-1 with a 3.04 ERA and 26 strickouts in 26.2 innings pitched.

Red Sox injuries mounting

Boston Red Sox trainers attend to Boston Red Sox left fielder Tyler O'Neill (42) after he collided with Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers (not pictured) during the seventh inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Fenway Park
© Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Bello is far from the first Red Sox player to suffer an injury in the first month of the season.

Third baseman Rafael Devers has been dealing with a knee injury over the past week, initially leaving an April 16 contest against the Guardians with knee discomfort. That comes on the heels of a shoulder issue that Devers was forced to deal with earlier in the month.

Outfielder Tyler O'Neill left a game against the Guardians with an injury after colliding with Devers in the top of the seventh inning last week. He just returned to the lineup on Tuesday, serving as the Red Sox' DH.

Pitchers Nick Pavetta and Garrett Whitlock are both on the 15-day IL.

Whitlock has a left oblique strain that caused him to exit last week's outing against Cleveland after four innings. He allowed two runs and three hits.

Pivetta is the veteran of the Red Sox pitching rotation, and he turned in a pair of very strong starts to open the year, giving up just one total run over his 11 innings of work while striking out 13 batters in the process. After his latest outing against the Oakland Athletics, he felt some pain in his elbow, and he has been diagnosed with a right elbow flexor strain.

Finally, shortstop Trevor Story was diagnosed with a fractured glenoid, signaling an end to his season. The 31-year-old recently underwent shoulder surgery in Los Angeles, according to an announcement by the team.

Despite all of this, the Red Sox still manage to be 13-11 on the season. Hopefully, they can carry that momentum further into the year as key players get healthy.