The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Yency Almonte to a Minor League contract and have brought him into Major League Spring Training.
This marks a return to the Dodgers’ organization for Almonte, who also spent 2022-23 with L.A. and posted the best year of his career in his first season with them.
During the 2022 season, Almonte posted a 1.02 ERA in 35.1 innings while striking out 24.4% of hitters and walking 7.4%. But the following year, he struggled with a 5.06 ERA in 48 innings.
Yency Almonte is back in Dodgers camp according to his Instagram!
Almonte had a 1.02 ERA with the Dodgers in 2022 before shoulder troubles took their toll. Should be healthy now after pitching just 34 innings in the for the Cubs/in the minors over the last two seasons. pic.twitter.com/ZWcWr7jayZ
— Jeff Spiegel (@JeffSpiegel) February 19, 2026
Almonte has been with the Chicago Cubs organization for the last two years, but the right-hander has not pitched in the Majors since the 2024 season, when he posted a 3.45 ERA in 15.2 innings.
He also missed much of that year with a right shoulder strain and landed on the 60-day injured list in June, which ended his season.
Prior to joining the Dodgers, Almonte spent the first four seasons of his career with the Colorado Rockies, throwing 124 innings with a 5.30 ERA.
In his career, Almonte owns a 4.44 ERA with a 1.30 WHIP in 223 innings while striking out 22.5% of hitters and walking 9.9%.
He joins the Dodgers looking to compete for a spot in a crowded bullpen, but will most likely start the year in Triple-A. Almonte should still get a chance to pitch at the MLB level again this season given how the Dodgers cycle through relievers, as long as he stays in the organization following Spring Training.
It’s unclear if Almonte has an opt-out in his contract if he doesn’t make the Spring Training roster or is not called up to the roster by a certain date, as many Minor League contracts for veterans do.
Dodgers signed Santiago Espinal
Earlier in the week, the Dodgers signed Santiago Espinal to a Minor League deal and brought him to Major League Spring Training.
The Dodgers were in need of a right-handed-hitting infielder after losing Ibáñez to the Athletics. Ibáñez was originally set to fill in as infield depth with Kiké Hernández and Tommy Edman beginning the year on the injured list.
The Dodgers tried to pass Ibáñez through waivers to keep him within the organization and add him back on the 40-man roster once Spring Training began so they could place players on the 60-day injured list.
But the Athletics spoiled those plans by claiming Ibáñez, leaving the Dodgers without right-handed infield depth.
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