CHICAGO -- A rough season for Albert Suárez has come to a premature end.
The Orioles announced a handful of roster moves before their series opener against the White Sox on Monday at Rate Field. Among them was Suárez heading to the 15-day injured list with right elbow discomfort.
With only two weeks left in the regular season, this move brings Suárez’s 2025 to an end.
Interim manager Tony Mansolino said the injury occurred during Suarez’s first start of the season on Sunday in Toronto. He pitched three innings against the Blue Jays, allowing one run on two hits and a walk while also striking out five.
Suárez’s day was over after those three frames -- in which he threw 53 pitches -- with a new injury being the main culprit.
“After the third inning right there, just where he was at, it was kind of 'see how he felt,' and he said that there was a little bit of tightness right there in the forearm,” Mansolino said. “So, wisely pulled the plug in that situation with Big Al."
Suárez was scheduled to get an MRI on Monday, and he’ll meet with team doctors on Tuesday to determine the severity of the issue.
It’s a disappointing end to an injury-plagued season for the 35-year-old right-hander. He threw 2 2/3 innings of relief on March 28, but he didn’t pitch for Baltimore again until Sept. 2 as he dealt with a Grade 2 right subscapularis strain. He ends 2025 having gone 2-0 with a 2.31 ERA in five games (one start), striking out 10 and walking two across 11 2/3 innings.
This season was even more frustrating considering the role Suárez played for the 2024 Orioles’ Wild Card squad. He was an effective swingman throughout the year, going 9-7 with a 3.70 ERA and tossing 133 2/3 innings across 32 games (24 starts).
That performance was even more impressive considering Suárez hadn’t pitched in the Majors since 2017. He pitched in both Japan (2019-21) and Korea (2022-23) before signing a Minor League deal with Baltimore on Sept. 15, 2023.
The team won’t know the next steps for Suárez until he gets imaging done and meets with the doctors, but it’s nonetheless a difficult finish to his season.
“He was huge for us last year,” Mansolino said. “I mean, you go down the list of guys in 2024 that are big reasons why the Orioles got themselves into the playoffs, Albert's kind of at the top of the list with some of the big names on there. [The IL placement is] disappointing, yes, but probably more just for him.
“I'm disappointed for Big Al, because after the career turns that he took and going overseas to Asia, finally getting back to the big leagues and becoming a Major League starter, just the kind of predicament he's found himself in here with the injuries, I just feel for him.”
Other injury notes
• Jordan Westburg’s return is nearly here, as he’s expected to be activated before Tuesday’s game against the White Sox.
Westburg, who’s been out almost a month with a right ankle sprain, played three games on his rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk, and in his third game Sunday, he hit two home runs. He was with the Orioles at Rate Field on Monday but got the day off, giving him a recovery day as he continues building up.
Mansolino plans to have Westburg serve as the designated hitter Tuesday, and then he’ll play third base the next two games. His fourth day off the IL (Friday) will either be a DH day or a full day off.
• Adley Rutschman (right oblique strain) is set to begin his own rehab assignment Tuesday. According to Mansolino, he’ll need about a week before he’s ready to rejoin the big league club.