The Orioles are making a change to their bullpen ahead of Sunday’s rubber match with the Boston Red Sox.
Baltimore is designating veteran right-handed pitcher Albert Suarez for assignment to make room on the roster as they reinstate closer Ryan Helsley from the bereavement list, the team announced Sunday morning.
Helsley, who ranks fifth in the league with six saves this season, was placed on the bereavement/family medical emergency list on Thursday. He will now return as Baltimore’s closer for Sunday’s matchup.
Suarez, on the other hand, will leave the team after a rocky start to his 2026 campaign.
The 36-year-old had allowed a bullpen-leading nine runs in 13 relief innings this season, most recently allowing four in Saturday’s 17-1 debacle to Boston. Suarez assumed a long relief role with the O’s, and did not pitch an outing under two innings in length.
In five games, he finished with a 3.46 ERA, five walks and six strikeouts. Suarez threw just one scoreless outing all season.
Two seasons ago, the veteran tossed 133 ⅔ innings for the O’s, playing a sizable role in their 2024 playoff appearance.
However, with right-handers Cameron Foster and Jose Espada both optioned back to the minor league system to make room for veterans Andrew Kittredge and Keegan Akin, the list of expendable bullpen arms ran thin.
Baltimore ultimately landed on its oldest reliever, who started the year with the Triple-A Norfolk Tides before being called up due to injuries in the bullpen.
The O’s hope to retain Suarez as a serviceable veteran arm in Norfolk should he clear outright waivers.
First, however, they are aiming to claim Sunday’s series finale against Boston, after an offensive explosion from each team in the past two days, which somehow resulted in the Red Sox firing manager Alex Cora along with five other coaches.
Baltimore throttled its AL East foe 10-2 in a historic Friday night contest before Boston returned the favor with a 17-1 victory on Saturday.
The O’s have won their first divisional series once in the past four seasons. Can they make it two in the past five?
