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

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