Palencia (elbow) walks two in Triple-A outing

Palencia took over with a 3-1 lead and two on in the sixth and quickly gave up a run-scoring balk. His bad break came afterwards, as Seiya Suzuki, worried about the wall in Wrigley Field, alligator-armed a fly down the right field line to give Andrew Vaughn a double. That wasn’t at all Palencia’s fault, but the two-run homer that Christian Yelich hit afterwards was. Palencia has surrendered six runs in 3 1/3 innings over four appearances since coming off the IL. The good news is that his stuff is fine, and he could still very much be a key piece in a postseason run for the Cubs. However, since it doesn’t look like he’ll resume closing anytime soon, he’s probably not worth rostering in mixed leagues right now.

Unwanted outfielder TJ Friedl homered off him. Palencia struck out two in a perfect inning a week ago in his return from the IL, but he’s given up four runs in two appearances since. Jacob Webb has opened the door for Palencia to resume pitching in the ninth, but Palencia can’t seem to find it at the moment.

Back from a flexor strain, Palencia averaged 98.9 mph with his six fastballs, leaving him just a tad shy of his 99.4-mph average for the season. It was a nice first outing back, but with Jacob Webb excelling, he’ll probably have to wait a bit for chances to close.

At long last, the Cubs’ closer has returned. Palencia has been sidelined since mid-June due to an elbow issue. He returns to a 2.70 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and a 19/6 K/BB ratio over 16 2/3 innings through his first 19 appearances on the season. He should jump right back in as the Cubs’ primary closer.

Palencia has been out since mid-June. He had a 2.70 ERA in 16 2/3 innings, striking out 19, before being sent to the injured list. Jacob Webb will likely remain in the mix for saves given how strong Webb has been this year, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Palencia eventually got the job back after he proves himself healthy and in good form.

Counsell added that Palencia has wrapped up a minor league rehab assignment, but won’t be activated prior to Tuesday’s game against the White Sox. Jacob Webb has been an unexpected revelation for Chicago and will likely remain in the mix for save chances, even when Palencia is back from the injured list. The hard-throwing 26-year-old has been out since mid-June with elbow inflammation.

It’s merely a procedural move to free up a spot on Chicago’s 40-man since Palencia has already been on the shelf for more than two months and can be activated at any point. The hard-throwing stopper figures to return to the Cubs’ closing mix at some point later this week. He’s made a couple minor league rehab outings, including striking out three of the four batters he faced for Triple-A Iowa on Sunday.

Palencia topped out at 100.0 mph in his fifth rehab appearance as he makes his way back from a flexor strain. He should come off the IL this week, though since Jacob Webb is performing very well, he probably won’t go back to closing right away.

Palencia walked three consecutive hitters before hitting a batter as well to bring in a run. He was lifted from the contest and all three inherited runners wound up crossing the plate. The 26-year-old stopper’s command issues in recent rehab outings are a cause for concern, but the Cubs probably don’t have much of a choice and will need to bring him back in the near future.

The Cubs didn’t add a veteran closer before the deadline, so it looks like Palancia will have a chance to get his job back upon returning. He’ll definitely need at least a couple of rehab appearances first.