After getting Tommy Kahnle back last week, the Los Angeles Dodgers are closing in on adding more to their bullpen in the form Brusdar Graterol and Blake Treinen, and with Yency Almonte likely not far behind.
The 28-year-old was placed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow tightness at the beginning of August, but the expectation was he wouldn’t be out long term. Almonte continued throwing while on the IL, but his recovery took longer than the team originally anticipated.
After pitching in another simulated game on Saturday, Almonte is now set to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, as seen on SportsNet LA:
“Yency is progressing. I think the plan now is we’re going to send him out on rehab. So he’ll go out and join that OKC team sometime early next week. We’ll see about the exact date, but that’s the next progression.”
The Dodgers have just 18 games remaining in the regular season, so Almonte doesn’t have much time to prove he is healthy and deserving of a spot on the postseason roster. But as of right now, the plan is for Almonte to make at least two rehab outings before they decide on the next steps for the reliever:
“That’s all dependent on how he’s throwing the baseball and how he’s feeling. I think the floor is two outings, and I think we’ll probably go from there.”
Before the injury, Almonte was beginning to establish himself as a high-leverage arm, so he has a strong case to make the playoff roster if his stuff looks good and he’s fully healthy.
Almonte has pitched to a 1.15 ERA, 3.26 FIP and 0.89 WHIP while striking out 8.62 batters per nine and walking 2.87 per nine over 29 games this season.
Dodgers cautious with Dustin May after arm soreness
Dustin May threw five no-hit innings on 69 pitches in his start on Friday, but the Dodgers went to their bullpen to start the sixth inning due to the right-hander being on a limit of 75-80 pitches.
While it’s still only May’s fifth start since returning from Tommy John surgery, Roberts previously said the 25-year-old was built up to 90-100 pitches. The team also pushed May’s scheduled start day back two days by inserting Michael Grove into the rotation earlier in the week.
Roberts revealed after the win against the Giants that May was dealing with right arm soreness, which is why the club decided to be cautious with him.
Make sure to follow Dodger Blue on Instagram! It’s the best way to see exclusive coverage from games and events, get your questions answered, and more!
