Almonte is being considered a full-time reliever heading into the season, Nick Groke of The Athletic reports.
Almonte spent time as both a starter and a reliever in the minors last season, producing a 5.56 ERA in 43 frames for Triple-A Albuquerque. However, he shined in the majors, allowing just three earned runs in 14.2 innings of work for a sparkling 1.84 ERA. His 3.00 FIP suggests he was a bit lucky, however, and there are other long-relief options to compete against as well, including Chris Rusin, Harrison Musgrave and potentially even Chad Bettis, Antonio Senzatela or Jeff Hoffman if they aren't used in the rotation.