Almonte (1-0) pitched a scoreless inning of relief with two strikeouts to earn the win in Sunday's 8-1 victory over the Dodgers.
After the Cubs received only four innings from starter Shota Imanaga due to a lengthy rain delay, Almonte worked the fifth and walked away with his first win of 2024. The righty struggled two outings ago, allowing three runs while retiring just one batter, which has saddled him with a 9.00 ERA in the early going. However, Almonte has good raw stuff, and Chicago seems committed to letting him figure things out at the MLB level.
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Cubs' Yency Almonte: Should secure Opening Day role
Rotowire
Almonte will likely make Chicago's Opening Day bullpen due to being out of options, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Almonte would have to clear waivers if he's sent down, and the Cubs seem unwilling to risk losing the righty. Almonte struggled some last season, recording a 5.06 ERA across 48 innings with the Dodgers, but he also struck out 49 batters. Armed with a fastball that sits around 96 mph, Almonte has the potential to be a bullpen weapon for the Cubs if he cuts down on the walks. The 29-year-old posted a 4.5 BB/9 in 2023, which contributed to his overall struggles.
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Cubs' Yency Almonte: Shipped to Chicago
Rotowire
Almonte was traded from the Dodgers to the Cubs along with Michael Busch in exchange for Jackson Ferris and Zyhir Hope, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.
The Dodgers wanted to open up some 40-man roster spots, so they'll turn Almonte and Busch into a pair of yet to be reported minor leaguers. Almonte, 29, has a 96-mph fastball and struck out 49 in 48 innings for the Dodgers last season, but his 5.06 ERA and 1.40 WHIP prevented him from turning in positive fantasy value. He should work in lower leverage situations.
Dodgers' Yency Almonte: Avoids arbitration with LAD
Rotowire
Almonte signed a one-year, $1.9 million contract with the Dodgers on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Almonte regressed last season following his dominant first year with the Dodgers in 2022, but $1.9 million is a drop in the bucket for Los Angeles. He should be part of the Opening Day bullpen mix in 2024.
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Dodgers' Yency Almonte: Sent on rehab assignment
Rotowire
Almonte (knee) was sent to Triple-A Oklahoma City on a rehab assignment Saturday.
Almonte has been out since he injured his right knee while pitching in Colorado on Aug. 11. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has said that the pitcher probably would not be ready until around the start of the NLCS. If the Dodgers get to that point, the 29-year-old will have gone over two months since the injury.
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Dodgers' Yency Almonte: Likely out until NLCS
Rotowire
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told Dani Wexelman of MLB Network Radio on Friday that Almonte (knee) probably won't be ready to return until around the start of the NLCS.
That's assuming the Dodgers even get there, of course, and even then it might not be a given that he's added to the roster following a long layoff. Almonte will have missed more than two months of action by that point with a right knee sprain, although he did recently resume throwing off a mound.
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Dodgers' Yency Almonte: Aiming for October return
Rotowire
Almonte (knee) tossed a bullpen session Tuesday that he said went well, and his goal is to be ready to pitch for the Dodgers in October, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Almonte has been out of action since injuring his right knee while pitching against Colorado on Aug. 11. The righty reliever said in an interview with SportsNet LA this week that he's not yet 100 percent and is taking a measured approach to rehab in order to prevent a setback. Almonte is slated to toss another bullpen session soon, which could help determine whether he's ready to face hitters. The Dodgers' last regular-season contest will take place Oct. 1, so Almonte isn't likely to provide help to the team's bullpen until the playoffs, if at all.
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Dodgers' Yency Almonte: Nearing mound workouts
Rotowire
Almonte (knee) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Tuesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
It'll be his first mound session since he went on the injured list Aug. 12 due to a right knee sprain. Almonte still has a lot of hurdles to clear, but he could be a bullpen option for the Dodgers before the end of the 2023 regular season.
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Dodgers' Yency Almonte: Couple weeks away
Rotowire
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Almonte (knee) is still at least a couple weeks away from returning from the 15-day injured list, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Alomonte landed on the injured list Aug. 12 with a right knee sprain, and he remains in rest-and-recovery mode with the beginning of September looming. The 28-year-old reliever had pitched to a 5.06 ERA and 49:24 K:BB in 48 innings for Los Angeles prior to the injury.
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Dodgers' Yency Almonte: Lands on IL
Rotowire
The Dodgers placed Almonte on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a right knee sprain, Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com reports.
Almonte was pulled from Friday's contest against the Rockies with a right knee injury, and it will officially cause him to spend at least 15 days on the injured list. The 29-year-old had accumulated a 5.06 ERA and 1.38 WHIP through 48 innings on the season and will be replaced in the bullpen by Victor Gonzalez.
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Dodgers' Yency Almonte: Injures knee Friday, may head to IL
Rotowire
Almonte departed Friday's game against Colorado due to a right knee injury, and manager Dave Roberts said after the contest that it could be an IL situation, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Almonte had worked 1.2 scoreless innings and was attempting to close out the victory when he got a cleat caught while releasing a pitch. The reliever speculated after the game that he may have hyperextended his right knee, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, though an official diagnosis has yet to be announced. Almonte threw two more pitches (both balls) before he was relieved by Ryan Brasier, but Roberts nonetheless suggested that the right-hander may miss multiple weeks, saying, "It wouldn't surprise me if it's an IL [stint]."
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Dodgers' Yency Almonte: Reinstated Sunday
Rotowire
Almonte (personal) was reinstated from the paternity list Sunday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Almonte has a streak of nine straight scoreless appearances going into the All-Star break. He has a 1.04 WHIP and 12 strikeouts in 8.2 innings over that span.
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Dodgers' Yency Almonte: On paternity leave
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The Dodgers placed Almonte on the paternity list Thursday, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
Almonte is allowed to miss up to three days as he steps away from the team to be with his growing family. If he takes off all three days, his next appearance will come after the All-Star break. The 29-year-old reliever holds a 5.15 ERA and 1.39 WHIP through 36.2 innings this season.
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Dodgers' Yency Almonte: Has another rough outing
Rotowire
Almonte allowed four runs on two hits and one walk over 1.1 innings against the Pirates on Wednesday.
Almonte entered the game with the Dodgers in a jam in the sixth inning, inheriting a two-on, one-out situation. He escaped by inducing a double play, but the right-hander was less effective in the following frame. He allowed four hitters to reach base, and all four came around to score, though two crossed the plate after Almonte departed. The veteran reliever has been charged with multiple runs in three of his 12 outings this season, including in two of his past three trips to the mound.
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Dodgers' Yency Almonte: Facing hitters Wednesday
Rotowire
Almonte (elbow) will face hitters Wednesday for the first time this spring, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Almonte missed much of the second half last season with a right elbow injury, so the Dodgers have eased him into things this spring. It's not clear at this point when he might be in game-ready shape, but the club expects him to be available for the start of the season. Almonte was quite a find for the Dodgers in 2022, sporting a 1.02 ERA over 33 relief appearances.
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Dodgers' Yency Almonte: Settles at $1.5 million
Rotowire
Almonte signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Dodgers on Friday to avoid arbitration, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.
Despite missing roughly two months of the season with an elbow injury, Almonte still put together an outstanding 2022 campaign, allowing just four earned runs over 35.1 frames. Of course, numbers as good as his will be nearly impossible to replicate in 2023, but if he can stay close to the level he was at last year, he may establish himself as one of the premier pieces of the Dodgers' bullpen.
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Dodgers' Yency Almonte: Reinstated from injured list
Rotowire
Almonte (elbow) was activated from the 15-day injured list Wednesday.
Almonte made three appearances during his rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City and has been cleared to rejoin the big-league roster. The 28-year-old has been a strong bullpen piece for Los Angeles this year with a 1.15 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 30:10 K:BB across 31.1 innings.
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Dodgers' Yency Almonte: Nearing activation
Rotowire
Almonte (elbow) completed his third minor-league rehab outing Sunday and is expected to return to the Dodgers on Wednesday, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Almonte gave up two runs over two-thirds of an inning for Triple-A Oklahoma on Sunday, though both scored after he exited the contest. The right-hander looked fine despite the unpleasant stat line, throwing 10 of 16 pitches for strikes and getting unlucky on one of the hits (a bloop single). Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has indicated that Almonte will be activated Wednesday as long as he doesn't encounter any physical setbacks, and the veteran reliever should return to a prominent place in the team's bullpen after posting a 1.15 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 30:10 K:BB while notching seven holds and a save over his first 29 outings.
