Even though he missed nearly half of this past season due to an 80-game suspension for a positive performance-enhancing substance test, the Philadelphia Phillies exercised their option to retain reliever Jose Alvarado for the 2026 season Wednesday.
He’s set to receive $9 million next year and become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
When active for the Phillies this year, the 30-year-old southpaw posted a 4-2 record and 3.81 ERA over 28 appearances spanning 26 innings. He also recorded seven saves, 32 strikeouts and seven walks.
Alvarado was sidelined from May 18 through August 18 because of the suspension. He was also not eligible for the postseason but may not have been active anyways. He made just eight appearances after his suspension before he was placed on the injured list Sept. 12 with a left forearm strain, which forced him to miss the rest of the regular season.
Over five seasons in the Philadelphia bullpen, Alvarado has 37 saves and a 3.48 ERA over 259 appearances (no starts).
