SAN DIEGO – The Orioles expanded from 26 to 28 players this morning by reinstating reliever Albert Suárez from the 60-day injured list and recalling catcher Maverick Handley from Triple-A Norfolk.
Tyler Wells will join the team to make Tuesday’s start against the Padres.
Reliever Cody Poteet was outrighted and he elected free agency.
Suárez made one appearance in March during the opening series in Toronto before injuring his right rotator cuff. Handley hasn’t played for the Orioles since June 22 due to a concussion and wrist injury. He’s 3-for-41.
Handley gives the Orioles a third catcher with Adley Rutschman on the injured list.
Kyle Bradish is making his second start after returning from Tommy John surgery. He allowed two solo home runs and struck out 10 Red Sox batters in six innings last week.
Bradish has never faced the Padres.
The Orioles have the youngest group of position players in the majors following the trade deadline with an average age of 25 years and 307 days. The Padres are 29th at 30 years and 296 days, per STATS.
Jackson Holliday has six walks in his last three games and 21 in August, making him the youngest player in franchise history to record 20 or more in a single month.
In case you missed it last night, the Orioles are promoting center fielder Enrique Bradfield Jr. from Double-A Chesapeake to Triple-A Norfolk. The 2023 first-round draft pick is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 4 prospect in the system. He’s batting .269/.393/.386 with 26 steals in 29 attempts, 32 walks and 37 strikeouts in 50 games for the Baysox and has dealt with multiple hamstring injuries.
Other moves include outfielder Reed Trimble going to Norfolk, infielder Griff O’Ferrall and outfielder Thomas Sosa to Chesapeake and outfielder Jordan Sanchez to Class A Delmarva.
Pitcher Michael Forret was removed from Chesapeake’s game last night with left knee discomfort.
San Diego is starting Dylan Cease, who’s 6-11 with a 4.82 ERA and 1.331 WHIP in 27 games. He’s struck out 183 batters in 142 innings.
Cease hasn’t gone more than five innings in six of his last seven starts. He has a 3.82 ERA in six career starts against the Orioles.
Ryan Mountcastle is 1-for-11 with a home run and six strikeouts against Cease.
The Padres’ roster has an Orioles flavor to it with Manny Machado, Ryan O’Hearn, Ramón Laureano, Nestor Cortes, Jose Iglesias and Mason McCoy. Suárez’s brother, Robert, is the primary closer.
The Orioles lost two of three in San Diego in 2023 and split two in 2019. They won both games in 2016 and 2013.
The Padres are 76-61 and in second place in the National League West. They hold the second Wild Card. They’re 43-22 at home.
Also, the Padres have won or tied their last 10 home series and that streak is tied for third-longest in a single season. It happened most recently in 2014.