Cubs Injury Notes: Pitcher Has Surgery, Bullpen Arms Nearing Return
Yency Almonte is officially done for the rest of the 2024 season after the Cubs pitcher had surgery to repair his right shoulder. The 30-year-old pitcher was acquired by the Cubs this past offseason along with Michael Busch in a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In 17 games with the Cubs, Almonta posted a 3.45 ERA, which included a dominant stretch from April 6 through May 7, when the righty reliever recorded a 1.32 ERA in 13.2 innings.
The Cubs placed Almonte on the injured list on May 11 and then six weeks later he was transferred to the 60-day IL. A week ago Almonte ultimately decided to opt for the shoulder surgery after getting a second opinion from a doctor. The pain would not go away and Almonte’s rehab was stunted.
It turns out that Almonte had been pitching through the injury for a while, saying he had a tear in his labrum since he started pitching professionally in 2014.
“The tear got bigger than what it was like before,” Almonte said. “I’ve had it for years in the minor leagues. I was able to pitch through it and then it finally just went.”
“It’s upsetting,” he said. “I came in here with a positive mindset from the trade, ready to go dominante. And I felt like I started off really well and I was in a good place mentally. Being in a new organization just trying to fit in and just be that source for younger guys and then come down with some injury that you think you can come back from.”
Almonte made the Opening Day bullpen this year and it’s crazy to think about, but out of the eight relievers who were on the team in March all but Hector Neris have missed time because of injury. The other, Jose Cuas, was designated for assignment in June. The most recent victim to the injured list is rookie lefty Luke Little, who left Friday’s game in St. Louis with a shoulder issue.
The Cubs do have a few pitchers nearing a return and the prominent name is right-hander Julian Merryweather. The 32-year-old was great for most of the 2023 season, as Merryweather recorded a 3.38 ERA in 72 innings during his first year with the Cubs. He’s been out since April with a rib fracture, but this past week the righty has started to ramp up in rehab appearances in the minor leagues.
On Friday night, Merryweather made his second rehab outing with the Iowa Cubs at Triple-A and struck out a batter, while giving up a run on three hits in one inning of work. Merryweather will continue to pitch in Arizona through the All-Star break as the Cubs are hopeful that he can return later in July.
Caleb Kilian, who looked great in spring training before getting injured, has also been in the minor leagues on his rehab assignment. He pitched for Iowa on Friday night as well and was once again lighting up the radar gun.
That was Kilian’s fourth outing after coming back from his shoulder strain with the previous three coming at South Bend.
Finally, Adbert Alzolay is throwing again and on Friday he pitched a live bullpen session in Arizona. Alzolay, who made 18 appearances with the Cubs this year before going on the IL, has been out of action since May 12, because of a forearm strain.