Dodgers Team News

Dodgers News: Yency Almonte Talks About Slow Spring Ramp Up and Trusting the Process

This spring was not a normal one for Dodgers RHP Yency Almonte. Rather than getting a full spring to ramp up and prepare for the season, he spent a lot of it on the sidelines. Almonte had a slower ramp up than his peers, as he was recovering from a lingering elbow issue that cost him a ton of time last season. So, the Dodgers wanted to be extra careful with Almonte, as they slowly ramped him up for the 2023 season.

That slow ramp up wasn’t easy for Almonte, as he felt like he needed to play catch up when he was finally allowed to start throwing. He spoke to Kirsten Watson of SNLA about the difficult spring, but how he continued to trust the Dodgers’ plan.



“It was a weird one,” Almonte said. “It was a spring where a lot of adversity of me telling myself that I know I can be ready, but being held back and not being able to throw when the guys were throwing. I think I started throwing when the guys already had three to four innings and I was like, ‘I’m late. I need to catch up and get ready.’ But, just give me the process and telling me what I need to do and seeing the way I pitched (recently) and feeling great, I think that’s the most important thing. I’m starting to trust that the most important is being healthy and just being out there for the team.”

Almonte had a breakout year for the Dodgers in 2022, sporting a minuscule 1.02 ERA in 33 appearances. However, the Dodgers would have loved to see him making close to double that amount of appearances, which is why they’re being extra cautious with the elbow issues this spring.

Almonte is going to be a key piece of the Dodgers bullpen this season. He’s sure to get his opportunities to close, and will be used in some high-leverage situations.

Also, right now, the Dodgers bullpen is pretty thin, at least until Daniel Hudson and Alex Reyes can return. So, the Dodgers will need all eight guys on the roster to play well and remain healthy early in the year, and that starts with Almonte.

Have you subscribed to our YouTube Channel yet? Subscribe and hit that notification bell to stay up to date on all the latest Dodgers news, rumors, interviews, live streams, and more!

Noah Camras

Noah is an Editor for Dodgers Nation. He graduated from USC in 2022 with a B.A. in Journalism and minor in Sports Media Studies. He's been a Dodger fan his whole life, and his all-time favorite Dodgers are Matt Kemp and Russell Martin.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button