The Los Angeles Dodgers are preparing for their first spring training games this weekend. The front office has done plenty of work to make sure the Dodgers can three-peat, such as bringing in Kyle Tucker. Now, the front office has made another move to help the team.
The Dodgers have signed right-handed relief pitcher Yency Almonte to a minor-league contract, according to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.
Almonte also got a non-roster invite to camp, meaning while he is not on the 40-man roster, he will still be participating in spring training and some of the games in an effort to earn a roster spot.
This is not the first time Almonte has been with the Dodgers. He was a 17th-round selection of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2012, but would be traded to the Chicago White Sox and then Colorado Rockies before making it to the show. Almonte broke into the big leagues with the Rockies in 2018, appearing in 14 games with a 1.84 ERA. He would spend the next three seasons with Colorado, but had his fair share of struggles. In his last season with the Rockies, Almonte went 1-3 with a 7.55 ERA and a -1.1 WAR.
This led to Almonte being removed from the 40-man roster and his choosing free agency. In March of 2022, he signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers, similar to the one he just signed. He was added to the major league roster that May. The reliever pitched in 33 games in 2022, had a 1.02 ERA and a 1.4 WAR, the best of his career. Still, he struggled the next season and would miss time due to a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee.
Almonte was then traded prior to the 2024 season to the Cubs. He pitched just 17 games before injury in 2024, and has not pitched in the majors since due to injuries.
While it has been a while since Almonte has pitched in the majors, if the Dodgers can get the same return they got last time they signed him to a minor league deal, they will be pleased. If not, they still have Edwin Diaz in the bullpen to help out.
