On Friday, it was revealed that Yency Almonte’s season is over after deciding to get surgery for his injured shoulder. It’s a crippling blow to an already shaky bullpen. With all things considered, it’s best that the Chicago Cubs now know Almonte will not be available this season.
Acquired by trade in January, Almonte was seen as a solid addition to a bullpen that made great strides in 2023. It would have been hard to imagine at the time how both would head south so quickly.
In 17 appearances, Almonte had a 3.45 ERA. Had he stayed healthy, it may have gone a long way in helping a bullpen rattled by injury and overall bad performance.
The bullpen woes began early as Julian Merryweather was the first to go down with injury. His presence has been massively felt as he has not appeared in a game since April.
Before landing on the IL, Adbert Alzolay was having a terrible sophomore season as the Cubs’ closer. Now on the 60-Day IL, it remains to be seen if even he will be returning to the mound this season.
If the Cubs do not make the postseason, one cause of death will be their bullpen. Injuries happen to every team, but the blown leads it has been responsible for fall on Jed Hoyer.
Now that his season is over, it remains to be seen if this is it for Almonte’s time with the Cubs. The odds are not in his favor given his age and the type of injury that he has sustained.
Regardless, this season should serve as a wake-up call to Jed Hoyer that it takes more to construct a reliable bullpen. One season’s success doesn’t always translate to the next.
