Almonte was drafted in the 26th round of the 1998 draft by the Chicago White Sox. He spent the next five years in the White Sox organization, reaching as high as the Triple-A Charlotte Knights, before joining the New York Mets in 2003 as part of a trade that sent him to the Mets with Andrew Salvo and Royce Ring; in return, the White Sox got future Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar.^[1] In 12 games with the Mets in 2003, Almonte had an 11.12 ERA, 5 walks, and 7 strikeouts.

In December 2003, Almonte signed with the Boston Red Sox, and spent the year with the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox. While he was there, he had a record of 5–6, with a 5.50 ERA. He walked 22 and struck out 37. He left the Red Sox and became a free agent in March 2004. He signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers on February 16, 2005, and became a free agent at the end of the season.

Almonte had a career resurgence in 2007, making 44 appearances for the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League. He would make 42 appearances for the Bears in 2008, and made 19 starts for the Schaumburg Flyers of the Northern League in 2009, going 6–10.

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)