How Albert Almora Jr. went from minor league free agent to Reds' starting right fielder

CHICAGO –– When the Cincinnati Reds signed Albert Almora Jr. on March 20, he only had two weeks to prove he belonged on the Opening Day roster.

Almora Jr. signed with the Reds with the expectation that he’d compete with Aristides Aquino and TJ Friedl for a spot as a backup outfielder. Almora Jr. had only played in 82 big league games between 2020 and 2021 as he hit .134 across those two seasons, but he was confident that a major adjustment to his swing could get his career back on track.

Then on his ninth day with the Reds, Almora Jr. injured his shoulder. He lost his shot to make the Opening Day roster, was assigned to the minor leagues and placed on the injured list.

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Now three months later, Almora Jr. is viewed as an everyday player on the Reds. Since he made his first start with the team on May 5, Almora has started 36 of the Reds’ last 47 games.

“I started the year in (the minors) and played every day there and started getting in a good groove,” Almora Jr. said. “I came here and tried to have the same mentality and approach to the game. Whenever my name was called, I want to do my job however. Bunt, like I’ve done, move the guy over. Not necessarily try to hit home runs, do damage all the time. Just trying to play the game the right way.”

Albert Almora Jr. returns to Wrigley Field to play his old team, the Cubs

This week, Almora Jr. will return to Wrigley Field to face his former team when the Reds face the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs drafted him out of high school with the No. 6 pick in the 2012 MLB Draft, and he was a part of the Cubs’ World Series title team in 2016.

In 2018, Almora Jr. looked like a pillar of the Cubs’ future, hitting .286 in 444 at-bats. But then in 2019, his batting average cratered to .236. In 2020, it was even worse at .167.

The Cubs cut Almora Jr. at the end of the 2020 season. Even though he had been a top prospect, the Cubs moved on from him when he was 26. At the time, Almora Jr. wasn’t playing like the hitter he expected himself to be.

“I just want to hit the ball hard,” Almora Jr. said. “I know results may vary at times. You can’t really control everything. There are nine major league defenders out there. But if you hit with the right path, you get can a flare hit just because you get it in the right direction.”

Albert Almora Jr. made adjustments after stint with Mets in 2021

Almora Jr. spent 2021 with the New York Mets and split time between MLB in Triple-A. He signed with the Reds in 2022 as a minor league free agent and brought a swing adjustment with him.

Instead of an off-balanced toe tap, Almora Jr. started gliding his front foot and timing pitches better. He has also had success pointing his front foot toward the backstop, and he’s hitting .267 for the Reds in 2022.

“I saw a confident player in spring training (in) the little bit that we saw him (with) the adjustments he made over the winter,” Reds manager David Bell said. “He deserves, really, all the credit for the position he’s put himself in.”

In early May, Almora Jr. was hitting .370 in Triple-A when he got his first opportunity with the Reds. Nick Senzel went on the injured list, and Almora Jr. was called up as a replacement player. Almora Jr. has been on the roster ever since then. 

Even though he has played through hip soreness and shoulder soreness at different points of the season, Almora Jr. has looked like the Reds’ best outfield defender. Bell has credited Almora’s unique ability to read swings and anticipate where the ball is going to go. With that skill, Almora Jr. has made as many diving or sliding catches as anyone on the Reds.

“Even the ones that (don’t look like) great plays, he makes it look easy,” Bell said. 

What is the state of the Reds outfield when Tyler Naquin returns?

Tyler Naquin could begin a rehab assignment by the end of next week, and he’s expected to start in right field when the Reds face right-handed pitchers when he returns. Since Almora Jr. made his first start in May, the Reds’ starting outfield has only been at full strength for two total days.

When Naquin returns, Bell will have to decide whether or not the 28-year-old Almora Jr. –– the Reds’ fourth-youngest starting position player behind Jonathan India, Tyler Stephenson and Nick Senzel –– is a part of the Reds’ plans.

“He’s been basically (an everyday player) since he has been here,” Bell said. “He has earned the playing time. Of course, he’s one of the guys that benefitted from an opportunity. There was an opening and then he made the most of that opportunity. It’s been fun watching him play all areas of the game. Instincts, the defense, he’s confident in his offense, maybe more than any point in his career.”