Player Review: Yency Almonte

By: Ethan Diamond

The Cubs brought in Yency Almonte over the season when they acquired Michael Busch from the Dodgers, expecting him to be a major piece of the bullpen this year. His first few games weren’t great, but following an April 3rd implosion against the Rockies, Yency posted a 1.32 ERA in 13.2 IP, with a 12.51 K/9, 1.92 FIP, and 0.5 fWAR in that time. Following a May 7th appearance against the Padres, the Cubs placed Almonte on the 15-Day IL with a shoulder strain, expecting him to return this season. He even had gone out on a rehab assignment, but the injury kept persisting and in July, he got a second opinion on his shoulder and opted to undergo surgery rather than try to push through it.

The surgery knocked Almonte out for the remainder of the season, and his status to start next year is unknown. He should be back at some point next season, as the injury has a recovery time of under 12 months. Overall, Almonte posted a 3.45 ERA in 15.2 IP this season over 17 appearances. He struck out 20 and walked eight, while also picking up a save and six holds. How the rest of his season would’ve gone is a big what if, but it would’ve been really nice to have him out of the bullpen down the stretch. He remains under team control for next season, so we can expect him back and helping as we look to make the playoffs in 2025.

Player Grade: B

It’s kind of hard to give Almonte a grade given he was with the team for barely over a month, but apart from really one or two outings, he looked very good. Some of Cubs Twitter may not say that, but don’t let them sway you. Almonte was on track for a really good season, and will hopefully return next year stronger than ever.

Image Credit: Marquee Sports Network