The Baltimore Orioles designated 30-year-old left-handed pitcher Nick Raquet for assignment Tuesday as part of a flurry of roster moves ahead of their game against the Colorado Rockies.
The club selected the contract of right-hander Albert Suárez and added left-hander Luis De León to the 40-man roster. To open those two spots, Baltimore also designated right-hander Cameron Weston.
Other corresponding moves included optioning Cade Povich, placing Christian Franklin on the 10-day injured list, activating Heston Kjerstad, and activating outfielder Luis Robert Jr., who had been claimed off waivers from the Mets.
Raquet, born Dec. 12, 1995, in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, is a 6-foot, 215-pound southpaw who throws a sinker, sweeper and slider. The Washington Nationals drafted him in the third round in 2017 out of the College of William & Mary.
After struggling to advance and leaving the game around 2020, he finished his degree and worked as an enterprise risk consultant before returning through independent ball. He was named Atlantic League Pitcher of the Year with the York Revolution in 2023, then signed with the St. Louis Cardinals.
He made his major league debut on Sept. 8, 2025, tossing two scoreless innings over two appearances for St. Louis. The Cardinals designated him for assignment in early April 2026; the Orioles acquired him the next day in exchange for minor-league infielder Brayden Smith.
With Baltimore, Raquet shuttled between Triple-A Norfolk and the majors. In four big-league appearances this season he posted a 7.36 ERA over 3 2/3 innings with one strikeout and two walks.
Combined with his two scoreless frames for St. Louis, his career MLB line stands at 6 games, 5 2/3 innings, a 4.76 ERA and two strikeouts.
Designation for assignment gives the Orioles seven days to trade Raquet, release him, or attempt to send him outright to the minors if he clears waivers.
At 30 with limited major-league experience and modest results in Baltimore, he is more likely to be claimed by a club seeking left-handed depth or to accept an outright assignment if he remains in the organization.
The move reflects the Orioles’ ongoing bullpen and 40-man roster crunch as they balance prospects, veterans and midseason additions.
For Raquet, whose path already included a multi-year hiatus and an independent-league revival, it is another chapter in a late-blooming career that reached the majors against long odds.
Whether he lands elsewhere or stays in the Orioles system, his story remains one of persistence more than raw prospect pedigree.
