Yency Almonte

Almonte attended Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, Florida and was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the 17th round of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft.[1] He signed and made his professional debut that year with the Arizona League Angels where he pitched three innings. He pitched 2013 with the Orem Owlz where he was 3–3 with a 6.92 ERA in 13 games (11 starts) and 2014 with the Burlington Bees where he compiled a 2–5 record and 4.93 ERA in nine starts.

Prior to the 2015 season, Almonte was acquired by the Chicago White Sox as the player to be named later from an earlier trade for Gordon Beckham.[2] He pitched that season with the Kannapolis Intimidators and Winston-Salem Dash where he posted a combined 11–7 record and 3.41 ERA in 24 games (22 starts).

On November 24, 2015, Almonte was traded to the Colorado Rockies for Tommy Kahnle.[3] He spent the 2016 season with the Modesto Nuts and Hartford Yard Goats,[4][5] compiling a combined 11–10 record and 3.58 ERA in 27 starts. The Rockies added him to their 40-man roster after the season.[6] He spent 2017 with Hartford and the Albuquerque Isotopes where he was 8–4 with a 2.91 ERA in 22 games (21 starts).[7] He began 2018 with the Isotopes.

On June 21, 2018, the Rockies promoted Almonte to the major leagues.[8] He made his major league debut that same night, pitching one scoreless inning of relief against the New York Mets at Coors Field.[9] Almonte finished the 2018 season with a 1.84 ERA in 14.2 innings of work. In 2019, Almonte pitched to a 5.86 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 34 innings pitched.[10] Almonte kept the Rockies from having the worst bullpen in the league in 2020 after recording a 2.93 ERA in 24 appearances, 18 of which were scoreless.[11] In 48 appearances for the Rockies in 2021, Almonte registered a 7.55 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 47.2 innings pitched. On October 21, 2021, Almonte was outrighted off of the 40-man roster[12] and elected free agency on November 7.

On March 13, 2022, Almonte signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.[13] He was added to the major league roster on May 12.[14] In 33 games, he allowed only four runs in 35+1⁄3 innings.[15]

On January 13, 2023, Almonte agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Dodgers, avoiding salary arbitration.[16] He pitched in 49 games with a 3–2 record with a 5.06 ERA[15] but missed the last month and a half of the season with a MCL sprain in his right knee.[17]