Cleveland Indians: Abraham Almonte quietly had a great opener

The Cleveland Indians won the season opener in exciting fashion, and Abraham Almonte quietly had a great game at the bottom of the order.

All the talk surrounding the Cleveland Indians‘ offense had to do with the top five players in the lineup. And while that part of the lineup drove in six runs in Monday’s victory over the Texas Rangers, the player at the bottom of the lineup had himself a night to remember.

Abraham Almonte only made the Opening Day roster after Lonnie Chisenhall was sent to the DL to begin the season. And while Chisenhall is set to return next week, Almonte made an early statement.

He reached base in all four of his plate appearances Monday night, finishing with two walks, an RBI single, a stolen base, and a swinging strikeout that got past Jonathan Lucroy on a wild pitch. This play also resulted in a run.

Oh, and his RBI single happened to be the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth inning, breaking a 5-5 tie and opening the floodgates for the offense.

Managers want the number nine hitter to generate some offense to spark the top of the order, and Almonte did a great job of doing just that. And after a year in which he missed the first few months due to a PED suspension, Almonte was grateful to help his team.

It is only one game, and Almonte is not an everyday player, but games like this will help build a case for Almonte to have a spot on this roster later in the summer.

It will ultimately come down to how well he does compared to players like Tyler Naquin and Austin Jackson. It also depends on whether any injuries come out throughout the year, which is something no one wants to predict, but it remains a likely possibility.

Even if Almonte spends a majority of the year in Columbus, his play on Monday night showcased the depth this team has. If the team wants to go with other players early in the season once Chisenhall returns, Almonte can continue to work in Triple-A and be ready at any moment to come up and help this Indians club.

All he can do now is continue what he started Monday night. Getting on base four times was a great start, while his stolen base adds a new dynamic to his game that could earn him one of the final spots on the roster later in the season.

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We still have to see what the other outfielders do over the course of the next few months, but Almonte should remain in the conversation if he continues to play like he did in the season opener