3:20 p.m: The O’s have officially announced their signing of Suarez. To open up a 40-man spot, that’s fine Dean Kremer was transferred to the 60-day disabled list. Kremer has been on IL since April 20th with a right quad strain and his 60-day count resets to that point. So you will be eligible for reinstatement in about three weeks. He hasn’t started rehab and may not be close to returning.
1:45 p.m: Right hand Albert Suarez who was selected in free agency yesterday after the Orioles claimed him off waivers, but has been rescheduled to join the team soon. Suárez is back in the Orioles clubhouse, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com, and the team is expected to finalize a new contract with him and a right option. Cameron Weston to Triple-A Norfolk in the corresponding move. That suggests it will be a major league deal for Suárez, who will be available out of the ‘pen for tonight’s game.
As was the case following his last DFA in Baltimore, Suárez is on the verge of returning to a new contract. He’s out of the minor leagues, but both he and the Orioles seem content with a schedule similar to the one between the Braves and the Orioles. Carlos Carrasco (profiled here earlier today). In fact, Suárez is the 41st man on Baltimore’s 40-man roster. The team will likely continue to add him to the big league roster, DFA him, trade him, and re-sign him as needed. It’s possible that another team would want Suárez at some point, but the O’s can always bake in friendly terms that make the right-hander a quick eraser.
The 36-year-old Suárez has a 2.75 ERA in 19 2/3 innings with the O’s this season but a 12.3% strikeout rate and a poor 11.1% walk rate. His run defense numbers were boosted by a .186 average on balls in play and a 9.2% homer-to-flyball rate, both of which (especially the first one) are likely to regress.
This year’s numbers notwithstanding, Suárez has been a key contributor in Baltimore since returning from a half-decade overseas (three years in Japan, two in South Korea). He pitched 165 innings in double-double seasons as an Oriole, posting a 3.49 ERA, 18.6% strikeout rate and 7.8% walk rate. Most of that work came in 2024; shoulder and elbow injuries combined to limit Suárez to 11 2/3 MLB frames last year. He’s already passed that mark in 2026 despite multiple DFAs.
With Suárez out of options and consistent with the setup and lineup the Orioles appear to be using here, there’s a good chance he’ll be reassigned when the O’s need a new arm. The cycle will likely repeat itself at that point, with Suárez going through a layoff, returning to a new deal, and so on. It’s a tumultuous path for most big leaguers to pass up, but Suárez has already logged 40 days of big league service and is paying this season — players get service/salary while in DFA limbo — so it’s still a great deal, especially for a 36-year-old with less than four years of service under his belt.
