PHOENIX -- During his breakout 2024 season, Albert Suárez became a valuable piece on the Orioles¡¯ pitching staff. The right-hander bounced between the rotation (24 starts) and the bullpen (eight relief appearances) and excelled whenever he was asked to pitch.
That¡¯s why news Monday regarding Su¨¢rez¡¯s right shoulder injury was called a ¡°big blow¡± by manager Brandon Hyde.
Su¨¢rez was diagnosed with a Grade 2 right subscapularis strain, which resulted in the 35-year-old being moved to the 60-day injured list. He will rest and isn¡¯t expected to need surgery.
¡°That¡¯s going to be some time missed,¡± Hyde said. ¡°It¡¯s going to be months. Hopefully, it¡¯s just a few months. But it¡¯s really unfortunate news.¡±
The ailment can be traced back to Su¨¢rez¡¯s final Spring Training start on March 21, when he first felt soreness in his right shoulder.
¡°He thought that was normal soreness, and he wanted to be on the Opening Day team,¡± Hyde said. ¡°He didn¡¯t really say much. Obviously, something wasn¡¯t right in Toronto.¡±
Su¨¢rez showed decreased velocity during his season debut on March 28, when he allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits over 2 2/3 innings in an 8-2 loss to the Blue Jays. He was placed on the 15-day IL two days later.
It was a disappointing turn of events for Su¨¢rez, who had never previously been on an MLB Opening Day roster. The Venezuelan left the U.S. and pitched in both Japan (2019-21) and Korea (¡¯22-23) before signing with Baltimore prior to the ¡¯24 season.
Last year, Su¨¢rez had a 3.70 ERA over 133 2/3 innings. His 2.2 bWAR ranked second among Orioles pitchers, behind only Corbin Burnes¡¯ 3.5.
Although Su¨¢rez spent the majority of last season in Baltimore¡¯s rotation, he made the team this year as a long reliever. Without him, the O¡¯s don¡¯t have much length out of the bullpen, making it important for starters to cover innings and for Hyde to manage the relief corps well.
The Orioles also added some pitching depth on Monday, acquiring Minor League left-hander Grant Wolfram from the Brewers in exchange for Minor League outfielder Daz Cameron and cash considerations. Wolfram, who was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk, was designated for assignment by Milwaukee earlier in the day.