Daniel Palencia (elbow) struggles in rehab outing

Palencia threw just 50 percent of his pitches for strikes but sat 98.7 mph on his four-seam fastball. The velocity is there, but the command is a little rusty. That’s not totally unexpected with a pitcher coming off a lengthy absence. He’ll need to make a few more appearances in Triple-A.

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.

Cubs’ manager Craig Counsell told reporters on Sunday that Palencia will next throw an up-and-down bullpen session on Tuesday before progressing to facing live hitters. Barring any setbacks, he’s on track to start a minor league rehab assignment during the week of August 3.

Chicago’s closer is progressing in his recovery from a minor flexor strain in his right elbow, but the club is going to take a cautious approach and not push him too quickly. Expect the Cubs to continue to patch together the ninth inning in his absence with Jacob Webb the most likely candidate to accrue saves.

That’s about the best possible news that the Cubs and fantasy managers could have received here. The expectation is that he’ll be shut down from throwing for about a week before starting to ramp back up. The Cubs will likely patch together the ninth inning in the meantime.

Not good. Palencia will presumably undergo an MRI to determine whether he’s dealing with any structural damage. There should be a clear return timetable at some point later this week. The hard-throwing 26-year-old stopper has converted all three of his save chances and holds a 2.70 ERA and 19/6 K/BB ratio across 16 2/3 innings this season. He missed a couple weeks earlier this season with a lat strain. It’ll likely be some combination of Jacob Webb, Caleb Thielbar and Phil Maton handling the closing duties in his absence. It’s probably a complete stay-away for fantasy managers outside of extremely deep formats.

A walk and two singles got Palencia charged with a loss after he entered a 2-2 game tonight. It was the fourth straight game in which Palencia was brought into a tie. He last had a save situation on May 14, and the only time he’s pitched with a lead since then was on May 30, when he finished off a 6-1 game.

That put Palencia in line for a loss, but Pete Crow-Armstrong picked him up with a game-tying homer. The Cubs went on to win in the bottom of the 10th. Palencia remains stuck on three saves, as the Cubs haven’t created any chances in three weeks. He has a 2.45 ERA and he’s clearly locked into the closer’s role, so the saves should come eventually.

Palencia opened the inning by striking out Michael Harris II and Mauricio Dubon before allowing a two-out single to Austin Riley that brought the tying run to the dish. That’s where Palencia dug deep and got Dominic Smith on a line drive to center to end the threat. For the season, the 26-year-old hurler now boasts a 2.25 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and a 9/2 K/BB ratio over eight innings while converting each of his first three save opportunities.

The save came in a five-run game after Palencia was brought in to face Nathaniel Lowe with the bases loaded. It’s his second of the year following his three-week absence due to a lat strain.