BALTIMORE -- When the Orioles need a pitcher to step up and fill an unexpected hole on their staff -- and it could be any hole -- they can always count on Albert Suárez to do so. The 36-year-old right-hander has proven that for three seasons now.
It happened on Aug. 6, 2024, when Grayson Rodriguez was scratched from a start in Toronto about 10 minutes before first pitch due to right lat/teres discomfort. Who stepped up to pitch in his place? Suárez, who had been working as a reliever at the time and yet still tossed five scoreless innings in a 73-pitch outing against the Blue Jays.
It happened again Wednesday afternoon. Baltimore’s bullpen was taxed after heavy usage during the club’s opening homestand, especially after Zach Eflin went only 3 2/3 innings in his season debut on Tuesday night before exiting due to right elbow discomfort.
The O’s needed to call up an arm to provide a boost to their ‘pen, and they turned to Suárez. He answered the call by tossing three innings of one-run relief in an 8-3 win over the Rangers at Camden Yards, closing out the game and earning a save after starter Trevor Rogers allowed two runs in six frames.
“I was mentally prepared. I come here to do whatever it takes to win a game,” Suárez said. “So, that's what I basically did out there.”
Nothing out of the ordinary or particularly difficult for Suárez. He woke up in Memphis, Tenn. -- where Triple-A Norfolk is playing this week -- and took a 6 a.m. CT flight to Baltimore. He walked into the Orioles’ clubhouse around 10:15 a.m. ET, ready to go for the 12:35 p.m. game.
How is Suárez always so ready?
“Just because of that, because I've done it before,” Suárez said. “It helps me to prepare mentally, and physically, obviously. I put in work every day just to be ready for any situation. For me, it's easier to be mentally than physically prepared."
Suárez’s comeback story has been well documented in recent years. After pitching as mostly a reliever for the Giants across the 2016 and ‘17 seasons and failing to return to the big leagues in ‘18, the Venezuelan righty had stints pitching in both Japan (2019-21) and Korea (2022-23). The Orioles’ scouting department rediscovered Suárez in ‘23, signing him to a Minor League deal on Sept. 15 of that year.
In 2024, Suárez became an integral member of Baltimore’s staff, recording a 3.70 ERA in 32 games (24 starts) and helping the O’s go 91-71 to reach the postseason as an American League Wild Card, while becoming affectionately known around the clubhouse as “Big Al.” However, he pitched only five games in ‘25 -- posting a 2.31 ERA over four relief outings and one start -- due to shoulder and elbow injuries.
The Orioles non-tendered Suárez after last season, before re-signing him on a Minor League deal on Dec. 17. He didn’t make the team out of Spring Training due to the club’s crowded pitching landscape, and although he could have opted out of his deal, he accepted his assignment to Triple-A and was ready to wait his turn as an important depth piece.
It only took until the sixth game of the season for Suárez to return.
“That’s something that when we talked to him in Spring Training about him not making the Opening Day roster, that’s something that we reiterated to him multiple times,” manager Craig Albernaz said, “just the value that he brings to us in the organization.”
“During the offseason, the Orioles showed me they wanted me back. And then, I also wanted to stay here,” Suárez said. “So I think I made the right decision.”
Albernaz may be in his first year at the helm in Baltimore, but he has history with Suárez. Albernaz was a Minor League catcher in the Rays’ system at the same time Suárez was in their organization, overlapping from 2008-13. The two shared a hug when Suárez arrived at the ballpark on Wednesday.
“To see him just keep on developing and getting better and refining his craft and, honestly, just never giving up on his dream to be here, that’s where he’s at now,” Albernaz said. “And that’s something where it’s really tough to bet against a guy that’s been through adversity, that’s had to prove himself and continue to get better, and that’s something that’s another reason why he’s going to make a huge impact for us, just because the person he is and what he’s gone through.”
And because any time the O’s find themselves in a pitching predicament, they know they can turn to “Big Al.”