DUNEDIN, Fla. – The importance of Albert Suárez’s start this afternoon against the Blue Jays presented a stark contrast to his camp experience last spring.

Suárez made the 2025 club after his thrilling comeback the previous season, when he emerged as a valuable multi-dimensional contributor following a six-year gap between major league appearances. His inclusion on the Opening Day roster was a formality. He was getting ready rather than auditioning and convincing.

What followed was a health nightmare. A shoulder injury in his first game on March 28 at Rogers Centre. A September shutdown caused by a forearm flexor strain after four outings that month. And he was the only Oriole to be non-tendered at the deadline.

The team signed him to a minor league contract, tossing him into the bullpen competition as a potential long man. He allowed eight earned runs and nine total with 13 hits in three spring appearances totaling 6 2/3 innings. Seven runs and nine hits came in 2 2/3 against the Cardinals in his last outing on March 6.

Suárez faced the Blue Jays today and held them to one run and three hits over four innings. He walked two batters and struck out five. Manager Craig Albernaz let him get to 75 pitches before making the switch.

The only run came on Addison Barger’s leadoff homer on Suárez’s first pitch in the second inning.

“It was very important,” Suárez said. “I took a lot of focus on this start. I think it was a chance for me to show what I have and to show that I’m healthy and that I’m ready to pitch.”

Suárez was four-seam heavy all day, and especially in the first inning while striking out the side – George Springer, Daulton Varsho and Alejandro Kirk. Thirteen of his 18 pitches were fastballs.

Davis Schneider struck out on 92.4 and 93 mph fastballs, the last after Toronto put two runners on base with one down in the fourth.

The pitch averaged 92.6 mph, compared to 93.8 last year.

The Orioles wanted to stretch him out in camp to keep any role in play.

“If I can go long and then I start in the bullpen, I can go multiple innings without a problem,” he said.

Suárez isn’t consumed by the number of relievers fighting for the last few bullpen spots. He isn’t doing a daily roll call in his head. His contract includes an opt-out at the end of spring training and he wants to make the decision much harder for the Orioles.

“The competition is always there,” he said. “I don’t really focus on that. I focus on my own competition. I think my competition is myself. Sometimes I beat myself more than I try to compete. For me it’s just that, trying to be calm, and now the competition is to myself, not to anybody else.”

*Adley Rutschman was halfway to the cycle by the third inning. He lined a single into left field at 105.2 mph and doubled down the left field line.

The 2-for-2 start, which came from both sides of the plate, raised Rutschman’s average to .313 and his OPS to .934.

Ryan Mountcastle and Blaze Alexander had run-scoring singles in the first. Mountcastle, of course, is a career .298/.357/.566 hitter with 14 doubles, a triple, 19 home runs and 53 RBIs in 72 games against Toronto.

He doesn’t let up in Dunedin.

Jeremiah Jackson hit his first spring home run leading off the fourth inning, with an exit velocity of 105.7 mph on his drive to right-center field. He made another start at second base, where he’s getting bulk work in camp.

Jackson has a chance to be a utility player on Opening Day, but the competition includes Luis Vázquez and Bryan Ramos.

Yaramil Hiraldo retired the side in order in the fifth. Left-hander Dietrich Enns loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth and escaped the jam with two strikeouts and a force play.

*Outfielder Tyler O’Neill didn’t make the trip today and remains 7-for-11 with a double and home run in five Grapefruit League games. His two-run single Sunday night doesn’t count because rain forced a cancellation in the top of the third inning.

O’Neill was 3-for-18 with two RBIs and five walks for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic. He returned to the Orioles after losing to Team USA in Friday’s quarterfinals.

“It was awesome,” he said this morning. “Love representing my country, love playing on the international stage. WBC is very special to me, and likewise with the rest of the Canadian club, so it was awesome to be with those guys for a little bit. Change up the pace a bit, getting out of spring training for a little bit, so that was fun, but I’m happy to be back with the boys here.”

The single that got washed away served a purpose, proving that O’Neill could pick up where he left off.

“For sure,” he said. “Speaking of the WBC, it’s just very fast, man. It’s like you get out of routine over there. There’s a lot of show and goes, having to share facilities with other teams. The routine gets out of whack there. So it’s just good to be able to get back here, feel like I’m in the big leagues again. Get to work on things the same way that I was working on them before heading out for the tournament.

“Just feel comfortable in my shoes, comfortable right when I got back in the box. And just good to be back around the boys and feeling that camaraderie out there.”

The upside beyond playing for Canada was the high level of intensity that can’t be matched in spring training.

“You’ve got to turn up, for sure, and that part’s really fun,” he said. “The actual game is really fun. It’s just a different kind of compete, I guess, when you’re representing your country against other countries. It just feels like, got to get back to the basics and just prepare and go be an athlete out there. That part was really fun, to just kind of scrap it all and strap it on and go play.”

Having teammate Gunnar Henderson competing for a different team felt weird to O’Neill. Same with having Henderson out of most Team USA lineups.

“It’s kind of crazy seeing him not playing as much as he should be out there,” O’Neill said. “I mean, you know, his skill speaks for itself. Obviously, he should be starting on any team. But it’s stocked and they have their own stuff that they look at, and I’m not gonna justify any kind of lineup creation that the U.S. is making, but pretty crazy to be on the other side of him and obviously really fun to see the success that he’s had, a couple of big homers. Has been really fun to watch from afar.”

Two more roster cuts left the Orioles with 47 players in camp. Injuries will peel away five more.

*Left-hander Luis De León turns 23 in April. He’s the No. 4 prospect in the system according to MLB Pipeline. He wasn’t competing for a roster spot on Opening Day.

De León was in camp to be evaluated and to soak in the atmosphere on the major league side. He’s a fast mover, pitching at three levels last season and finishing with Double-A Chesapeake. He also made five starts in the Arizona Fall League.

The Orioles reassigned him to minor league camp after he tossed 2 2/3 scoreless exhibition innings.

“I love watching that dude pitch, selfishly,” Albernaz said. “I love his demeanor on the mound. He throws strikes. Even his first outing with us in Fort Myers, where he threw (five) pitches, and he had that PFP and he was laughing as he was going to get the ball. It just shows that he’s under control, the game’s not speeding up for him.

“He’s one who I think it gonna be, of all the guys, he’s going to make a real impact for us, along with the other three (Trey Gibson, Nestor German, Levi Wells). But with De León in particular, the stuff is real.”

*Here’s the Orioles’ roster for the Spring Breakout game against the Red Sox on Friday night in Sarasota (with MLB Pipeline prospect rankings):

PITCHERS (7)
Micah Ashman, LHP, NR
Zane Barnhart, RHP, NR
Joseph Dzierwa, LHP, No. 14
Nestor German, RHP, No. 12
Trey Gibson, RHP, No. 5
Chandler Marsh, RHP, NR
Tyson Neighbors, RHP, No. 17

CATCHERS (3)
Ethan Anderson, C/1B, No. 26
Creed Willems, C/1B, No. 19
Colin Tuft, C, NR

INFIELDERS (9)
Wehiwa Aloy, SS, No. 7
Aron Estrada, 2B/OF, No. 9
Wilfri De La Cruz, SS, No. 22
Cobb Hightower, INF, NR
Ike Irish, 1B, No. 6
Jaiden Lo Re, INF, NR
Griff O’Ferrall, SS/2B, No. 29
José Peña, INF, NR
Colin Yeaman, SS, No. 30

OUTFIELDERS (8)
RJ Austin, OF, NR
Enrique Bradfield Jr., OF, No. 10
Vance Honeycutt, OF, NR
Nate George, OF, No. 3/MLB No. 93
DJ Layton, OF, NR
Jordan Sanchez, OF, No. 18
Thomas Sosa, OF, No. 20
Reed Trimble, OF, NR

Update: Alex Pham earns the save in a 3-2 win.

Albernaz on Suárez: “Suárez threw the ball great. The fastball had a little extra life to it today. Off-speed offerings were there. Slider, breaking ball were sharp. He did a good job controlling the strike zone. It was a solid day for Suárez.”

More Albernaz on Suárez: “He has a bunch of versatility. But we’re nowhere near finalizing the roster or anything like that. It was good to see him go out there and threw well.”

Albernaz on Jackson: “We’ve kind of been throwing a lot at him, continuing from last year with a bunch of different positions, trying that out. He’s getting comfortable at second base, and the at-bat quality has been solid all camp. To see him leave oppo like that, really impressive.”

*From an Orioles press release:

“The Orioles today announced an all-new social space, built around the existing flags in right field where fans can enjoy Orioles baseball.

“In partnership with Corona, the club has begun construction of a new bar on the Flag Court, set to be open following the All-Star break. Open-to-the-public, the redesigned space will feature an open-air, wraparound bar to one of the ballpark’s most popular gathering spots. With service from both the Flag Court and Eutaw Street sides, fans will soon be able to enjoy a refreshing beverage while enjoying great views of the action on the field.”

For more information on the Flag Court Bar, visit Orioles.com/FlagCourt.”