Alvarez is expected to opt out of his minor-league contract and leave Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.
As was the case with Michael Bourn, the O's are planning for the departure of another veteran working under a minor-league deal. The organization hoped to develop Alvarez as an outfielder, but that experiment hasn't panned out. The 30-year-old leads the International League with 26 RBI in May, but his overall performance this year has been less than impressive. Through 51 games with the Tides, Alvarez is slashing .219/.293/.443 with 47 strikeouts in 201 at-bats.