José Alvarado is coming back to the Philadelphia Phillies for the 2026 season. Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski announced Wednesday that the team exercised the club option on the hard-throwing left-handed relief pitcher.
The option will cost the Phillies $9 million, according to Spotrac.
Alvarado, who will turn 31 in May, missed most of the 2025 season after he served an 80-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.
Alvarado, who was ruled ineligible for the postseason, returned in August. But a left forearm strain in September landed him on the injured list, ending his season.
Dombrowski said the positive test was caused by a weight loss drug Alvarado took in the offseason. Alvarado apologized to his teammates and Phillies fans before returning from his suspension.
In 28 appearances for the Phillies in the 2025 season, Alvarado had a 3.81 ERA with 32 strikeouts to seven walks. He converted seven of his eight save opportunities and didn’t allow a run in 20 of his 28 appearances.
Alvarado will return to a Phillies bullpen that includes Jhoan Duran, Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm for the 2026 season. But the Phillies enter the offseason with several big name free agents and tough decisions to make.
National League MVP finalist Kyle Schwarber, longtime catcher J.T. Realmuto and fan favorite Ranger Suárez are all free agents. On Tuesday, outfielder Harrison Bader declined his 2026 mutual contract option, which makes him an unrestricted free agent.
While there are still plenty of moves to be made before the 2026 season, the Phillies announced their spring training schedule Wednesday for fans planning a trip to Clearwater, Florida, in a few months.