Royals designate Miguel Almonte for assignment to clear room for ... another Almonte

The Royals on Monday designated pitching prospect Miguel Almonte for assignment in order to clear room on the 40-man roster for outfielder Abraham Almonte.

Miguel Almonte, the 11th-ranked prospect in the Royals' farm system according to Baseball America, was optioned to Class AAA Omaha on March 18. He appeared in five Cactus League games and allowed one earned run and six hits in nine innings.

Abraham Almonte was designated for assignment by the Cleveland Indians on Thursday. In parts of three seasons with the Indians, he hit .254 with 37 doubles, nine triples, nine home runs and 56 RBIs.

Abraham Almonte was optioned to Omaha in Miguel Almonte's place.

When he wasn't sidelined by arm discomfort in 2017, Miguel Almonte had proved he was better than the career-worst 5.92 ERA he posted in 2016 between stints at Omaha and Class AA Northwest Arkansas. He limited hitters to a .244 average and struck out 52 last year. But a strained rotator cuff cut his season to 47 minor-league innings, during which he allowed nine runs for an ERA of 1.72.

Miguel Almonte, who will turn 25 years old on Wednesday, appeared healthy this spring. He threw a powerful fastball — which can hit 98 mph on a good day — and showed command of his breaking pitches. He demonstrated enough improvement that the Royals were forced to reconsider if they wanted to relegate him permanently to the bullpen or return him to the Storm Chasers' rotation.

But between optioning him to minor-league camp and Monday's announcement, Miguel Almonte developed soreness in his shoulder again. When the Storm Chasers announced their opening day roster less than a hour before the Royals' transactions, he was slated to start the season on the seven-day disabled list.

Miguel Almonte can still clear waivers and remain in the Royals' organization, of which he's been part since signing with the team out of his native Dominican Republic in 2010.

This story was originally published April 2, 2018 at 2:38 PM with the headline "Royals designate Miguel Almonte for assignment to clear room for ... another Almonte."