Big Al is back again: Albert Suárez returns to Orioles organization after briefly electing free agency
Albert Suárez and the Baltimore Orioles apparently cannot stay away from each other.
Only three days after electing free agency rather than accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk, the veteran right-hander has returned to the organization.
Baltimore signed Suárez to another minor league contract Wednesday and assigned the 36-year-old to the Norfolk Tides. The Orioles’ official minor league transaction log confirms both moves occurred Aug. 27.
It is the latest chapter in one of the strangest transaction sagas of the Orioles’ 2026 season.
Suárez has repeatedly been designated for assignment, cleared waivers, elected free agency and returned to Baltimore. Yet every time the Orioles have needed him, “Big Al” has continued to provide quality innings.
This latest reunion might not be the last time Baltimore needs him this season.
Suárez’s latest departure lasted three days
The Orioles designated Suárez for assignment Aug. 21 when right-hander Anthony Nunez was recalled from Norfolk.
Baltimore then outrighted Suárez to Triple-A on Aug. 23.
Suárez had the right to reject that assignment, and he did.
On Aug. 24, he elected free agency.
That seemingly could have ended his latest stint with Baltimore.
Instead, Suárez returned almost immediately.
The Orioles signed him to a minor league contract Aug. 27 and assigned him to Norfolk, keeping one of the organization’s most experienced pitching depth options available for the final month of the season.
This has happened before — several times
Suárez’s transaction history this season almost requires a flowchart.
Baltimore initially brought him back on a minor league contract Dec. 17, 2025, after non-tendering him in November.
He did not make the Opening Day roster but remained with Norfolk rather than exercising an opt-out. The Orioles eventually selected his contract April 1.
Then the revolving door started.
Baltimore designated Suárez for assignment April 26.
He elected free agency April 29.
The Orioles re-signed him to a minor league deal April 30.
Baltimore selected his contract again May 1.
He was designated for assignment again May 2 and accepted an outright assignment to Norfolk.
His contract was selected again May 19.
Baltimore designated him for assignment for a third time May 25.
Suárez elected free agency May 28.
And on May 29, he returned again — this time on a Major League contract.
Now it has happened again in August.
DFA.
Waivers.
Free agency.
Back to Baltimore.
At this point, Suárez returning to the Orioles almost feels inevitable.
Suárez has actually pitched well in 2026
The repeated transactions could create the impression that Suárez has struggled.
He has not.
Suárez has appeared in 25 major league games this season, posting a 2-0 record with a 3.93 ERA and 1.25 WHIP across 55 innings. He has struck out 38.
He has also pitched exclusively out of the bullpen in the majors this year after spending significant time as a starter during his breakout 2024 season.
His ability to provide multiple innings has made him particularly useful.
Earlier this season, Orioles manager Craig Albernaz praised Suárez’s ability to deal with the constant uncertainty surrounding his roster status while continuing to perform whenever Baltimore calls upon him.
Albernaz described Suárez as a valuable bullpen piece and praised him as a teammate. Suárez, meanwhile, said he had become accustomed to dealing with circumstances outside his control and simply tried to remain prepared.
That attitude has probably helped explain why Baltimore keeps bringing him back.
Remember what Suárez did for the Orioles in 2024
Suárez’s relationship with Baltimore extends well beyond this season’s roster maneuvering.
The Orioles originally signed him to a minor league contract in September 2023 after he had spent years pitching overseas.
Suárez had not appeared in Major League Baseball since 2017.
He had pitched in Japan from 2019-21 and South Korea from 2022-23 before Baltimore gave him another opportunity.
Few expected what happened next.
Suárez became one of the biggest surprises of Baltimore’s 2024 season.
He appeared in 32 games, including 24 starts, and finished with a 3.70 ERA while helping an Orioles team that went 91-71 reach the postseason.
It was one of baseball’s better comeback stories.
Suárez went roughly seven years between major league appearances before returning with Baltimore and becoming an important member of a playoff rotation.
Orioles fans quickly embraced “Big Al.”
Injuries derailed his 2025 season
Unfortunately, Suárez never had an opportunity to build much momentum the following year.
Shoulder inflammation sent him to the injured list at the end of March 2025, and a right subscapularis strain eventually landed him on the 60-day IL.
He did not return until September.
Then right elbow discomfort sent him back to the injured list later that month.
Suárez was limited to only five major league appearances in 2025.
But once again, his actual performance was good when healthy.
He posted a 2.31 ERA in 11⅔ innings, making one start and four relief appearances.
Baltimore non-tendered him following the season before bringing him back on the December minor league contract that started this year’s unusual sequence.
Baltimore keeps finding a use for Big Al
There is an obvious reason this relationship keeps continuing.
Suárez provides exactly the kind of pitching depth every organization needs.
He can start.
He can pitch in relief.
He can cover multiple innings.
He has postseason experience.
He has handled high-leverage situations and low-leverage situations.
And perhaps most importantly for the Orioles, he has repeatedly demonstrated that he can step into a major league game without needing much time to adjust.
Suárez’s career numbers also show that his success in Baltimore has not been a complete fluke.
Across 102 major league appearances and 316 innings, he owns a 16-15 record, 3.99 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with 244 strikeouts.
For a pitcher occupying one of the final spots on a 40-man roster, that is valuable production.
Norfolk gives Baltimore experienced insurance
For now, Suárez heads back to Triple-A.
He has also pitched well during his limited minor league work this season, recording a 3.18 ERA and 1.06 WHIP across 11⅓ innings, with 10 strikeouts.
But his importance goes beyond his Norfolk numbers.
Baltimore enters the final month of the season trying to remain in the American League postseason race. Pitching depth becomes increasingly important during September as innings accumulate, injuries occur and bullpens are tested.
Having a pitcher with Suárez’s experience waiting in Norfolk is hardly a bad insurance policy.
He already knows the Orioles.
He already knows the coaching staff.
He knows how Baltimore wants him to pitch.
And after everything that has happened this season, he certainly knows the route between Norfolk and Baltimore.
A remarkable transaction timeline
Suárez’s 2026 journey with Baltimore has been unusual:
Dec. 17, 2025: Re-signs with Orioles on minor league deal.
April 1: Orioles select his contract.
April 26: Designated for assignment.
April 29: Elects free agency.
April 30: Re-signs with Orioles on minor league deal.
May 1: Contract selected.
May 2: Designated for assignment.
May 4: Outrighted to Norfolk.
May 19: Contract selected again.
May 25: Designated for assignment.
May 28: Elects free agency.
May 29: Re-signs with Baltimore on a Major League contract.
Aug. 21: Designated for assignment.
Aug. 23: Outrighted to Norfolk.
Aug. 24: Elects free agency.
Aug. 27: Re-signs with Orioles on a minor league contract and returns to Norfolk.
That is four separate Orioles contracts since the beginning of the season, counting the deal he entered 2026 under.
It is difficult to find a better example of the uncertainty that comes with occupying the fringes of a major league roster.
MSB Take
At this point, the Orioles might as well keep a locker for Albert Suárez at Camden Yards.
The entire situation is almost comical.
Baltimore designates Big Al for assignment. He clears waivers. Sometimes he accepts Norfolk. Sometimes he elects free agency.
Then a few days later, he is an Oriole again.
But underneath the unusual transaction history is something important: Suárez keeps pitching well enough that Baltimore does not want to lose him.
A 3.93 ERA over 55 major league innings is useful production. His 2024 season proved he could handle a starting role, and his work this season has shown he can transition into a multi-inning bullpen role.
The Orioles also know exactly what they are getting.
They are getting a veteran who has pitched in the United States, Japan and Korea. They are getting a pitcher who went seven years without appearing in the majors and fought his way back. They are getting someone who has repeatedly been pushed off the roster this year without allowing the uncertainty to affect his preparation.
And Baltimore is getting one more experienced arm for September.
Suárez is technically a Norfolk Tide right now.
Considering how 2026 has gone, nobody should be surprised if that changes again.
Big Al is back — again.
And there is a decent chance we have not seen the last of him in Baltimore this season.
