Brandon Hyde and the Baltimore Orioles were counting on pitcher Albert Suárez to help them wrestle the American League East crown away from the New York Yankees.

We may still see that sight at some point. It just may not be until 2026.

Hyde announced Monday that Suárez, who tallied a 3.70 ERA and 2.2 bWAR across 133.2 innings last year, will miss longer than expected with a shoulder injury.

Doctors diagnosed Suárez with a Grade 2 right subscapularis strain, and Baltimore subsequently moved the 35-year-old to the 60-day injured list. “It’s going to be months,” Hyde told reporters. “Hopefully, it’s just a few months,” Hyde added, according to the Orioles’ official website.

“But it’s really unfortunate news.”

Hyde said Suárez won’t need surgery, and he’ll instead rest before resuming throwing.

Suárez initially reported right shoulder soreness following a March 21 spring training start.

When he made his season debut a week later, he allowed two runs and five hits over 2.2 innings in an 8-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Baltimore placed Suárez on the 15-day injured list on March 30.

“He thought that was normal soreness, and he wanted to be on the Opening Day team,” Hyde said. “He didn’t really say much. Obviously, something wasn’t right in Toronto.”

The good news is, as Hyde noted, Suárez doesn’t need surgery yet.

However, anyone familiar with baseball knows that shoulder injuries and 35-year-old pitchers don’t mix well. Suárez returned to the majors last season after a seven-year absence; he spent 2018-23 playing in Japan and Korea.

He owns a 12-15 record and a 4.07 ERA over 252 career innings for the Orioles and San Francisco Giants.