The Orioles made a roster move on Tuesday, claiming left-hander José Suarez off waivers from the Braves and designating outfielder Marco Luciano for assignment to clear a spot. While Atlanta hadn’t publicly announced Suarez’s removal from the 40-man roster, Baltimore didn’t miss a beat, seizing an opportunity to add a lefty with some upside to their pitching mix. As a result, the Braves’ 40-man count now sits at 39.
Suarez, 28, had agreed to a $900,000 deal with Atlanta back in November to avoid arbitration, but his status was always a bit uncertain. After all, he spent most of last season in Triple-A and was viewed by many as a potential non-tender candidate. The Braves had acquired him from the Angels during Spring Training in a deal that sent former No. 3 overall pick Ian Anderson the other way.
Suarez only made seven appearances at the big league level for Atlanta, tossing 19 1/3 innings and giving up five runs-four of them earned. His strikeout-to-walk numbers weren’t exactly eye-popping (16 strikeouts to 10 walks), but that small sample didn’t tell the whole story.
Injuries limited Suarez for much of the year, but when healthy, he looked sharp down in Triple-A Gwinnett. Over nine outings, he posted a 3.53 ERA, striking out 28% of opposing hitters while walking just 5%. That’s the kind of command and swing-and-miss stuff that can get a front office’s attention-especially from a lefty.
But here’s the catch: Suarez is out of minor league options. That means Baltimore can’t stash him in Triple-A without exposing him to waivers again, which could lead to another team scooping him up.
The Orioles have developed a bit of a reputation for this type of move-claiming players to see if they can sneak them through waivers later. So while Suarez could compete for a long relief spot in Spring Training, there’s also a decent chance he’s back on the waiver wire before Opening Day.
As for Luciano, his journey continues through the waiver carousel. Once considered one of the game’s top 15 prospects, the former Giants signee has bounced from San Francisco to Pittsburgh to Baltimore this offseason alone. Now, he’s likely headed for another change of scenery within the next few days.
Luciano’s early career was built on tantalizing upside. A teenage shortstop with loud raw power and a 6-foot-1 frame, he looked like a potential middle-of-the-order bat.
But as he’s faced more advanced pitching, the swing-and-miss issues have become harder to ignore. Defensively, he’s shifted off shortstop to left field after struggling with errors on the infield dirt.
The Giants gave him limited big-league exposure in 2023 and 2024, during which he hit just .217/.286/.304 with 45 strikeouts in 126 plate appearances. In 2025, they kept him in Triple-A, where he flashed some of that power-23 home runs and a walk rate north of 15%-but he also struck out nearly 31% of the time and whiffed on over 35% of his swings.
Luciano still hits the ball hard when he connects, but the contact issues and defensive limitations have clouded his future. Like Suarez, he’s out of minor league options, so any team that claims him will need to keep him on the active roster or risk sending him back into DFA limbo.
For now, the Orioles are betting on Suarez’s left-handed arm and hoping to extract some value from a pitcher who’s shown flashes when healthy. Whether he sticks or not remains to be seen, but it’s another example of Baltimore’s front office working the margins, looking for upside wherever they can find it.