Yency Almonte hasn’t pitched since May 7 due to a right shoulder strain, and continued discomfort in his shoulder has led to a possible crossroads in how the Cubs right-hander plans to deal with the injury. Manager Craig Counsell told reporters (including Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune) that Almonte recently received a less-than-positive second opinion on his ailing shoulder and is “thinking about what to do here” in possibly pursuing surgery. Almonte has been shut down from throwing while he recovers and decides on his next step.
The exact nature of the surgery isn’t yet known. Still, it would almost certainly seem that Almonte would miss the rest of the 2024 season and could potentially be facing an absence of up to a year based on timelines of more serious shoulder-related procedures undergone by other pitchers in the past. Whatever the case, it’s a tough outcome for Almonte, who posted solid numbers before going on the IL.
Acquired from the Dodgers alongside Michael Busch last January, Almonte had a 3.45 ERA over 15 2/3 innings and 17 appearances for the Cubs. His 11.9% walk rate was on the high side, and Almonte benefited from a .222 BABIP, but a 29.9% strikeout rate and just one homer allowed in those 15 2/3 frames. After relying heavily on a sweeper in 2022-23, Almonte used his sinker and sweeper in more or less equal measure this season, which also helped set up his 94mph fastball.
Analytics aside, Almonte’s 2024 success could’ve been inevitable because it is an even year. The right-hander has yo-yo’d between good and bad years throughout his seven MLB seasons, with the trend of quality numbers in the even years and struggles in the odd years. Case in point, Almonte’s Dodgers tenure included a 1.02 ERA in 35 1/3 innings in 2022, followed up by a 5.06 ERA over 48 innings with Los Angeles in 2023 before a knee sprain ended his season in mid-August.
Unfortunately, the injury bug seems to have thrown a wrench into Almonte’s usual career pattern. He was moved off the Dodgers’ 40-man roster when he was shifted to the 60-day IL last week. The Cubs have another year of arbitration control over Almonte for the 2025 season. While a non-tender is certainly possible, Chicago might still issue him a contract depending on his health status since Almonte would receive only a minimal raise on his $1.9M salary for 2024.
Almonte is one of five relievers on the Cubs’ injured list, and relief pitching was already an issue for Chicago even before such a big chunk of the bullpen was sidelined. On the positive side, Counsell and pitching coach Tommy Hottovy recently told MLB.com and other media that Julian Merryweather is nearing a minor league rehab assignment, and Mark Leiter Jr. threw a 30-pitch bullpen session Wednesday and might be able to return next week without going on a rehab stint.
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