You might as well call the Kansas City Royals the "No Almontes Club," because they're apparently only allowed to have one.
In one of the odder transactions of the young 2018 season, the Royals claimed outfielder Abraham Almonte off waivers from the Cleveland Indians on Monday. But in order to do so, the Royals needed to free up a 40-man roster spot, and did so by designating similarly named pitcher Miguel Almonte for assignment.
The two Almontes do not appear to be related, though both hail from the Dominican Republic - Miguel is from Santiago, while Abraham is a native of the country's capital, Santo Domingo.
Abraham Almonte spent most of the last three seasons in Cleveland. In 2017, the 28-year-old hit .233/.314/.366 with three home runs in 69 games for the AL Central champion, and did not appear in the playoffs.
Kansas City optioned him to Triple-A Omaha, per Maria Torres of the Kansas City Star.
Miguel Almonte, who will turn 25 on Wednesday, is ranked as the Royals' No. 12 prospect by MLB Pipeline. He's appeared in just 11 big-league games since 2015, however, and made only two appearances for the Royals last year, posting a 13.50 ERA in two innings pitched.
