Daniel

Palencia

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.

Palencia didn’t pitch in his first two days off the IL, and he wasn’t going to have the chance to close tonight with the Cubs at home and tied in the ninth. Still, he threw very well while facing four batters. He topped out at 101.9 mph and averaged 100.2 mph with his heater, which is 1.2 mph better than his season average,

The Cubs’ bullpen has been decimated by injuries, so getting their closer back should go a long way towards stabilizing things at the back end. Before landing on the injured list with a lat strain, the 26-year-old flame-thrower had fired five scoreless innings with a 1.00 WHIP and a 5/2 K/BB ratio while converting his lone save chance.

Chicago’s closer averaged 100.4 mph and topped out at 102 during the 19-pitch tune-up outing on the doorstep of the majors. He gave up one hit and also recorded one strikeout. The hard-throwing 26-year-old stopper is working his way back from a low-grade lat strain and could potentially return to the back-end of the Cubs’ bullpen later this weekend.

This is the first update we’ve had on Palencia since he was put on the injured list back on April 17th. It seems that Palencia won’t need a rehab assignment before returning to the Cubs. We’ll wait to see if Palencia can progress enough to actually return this weekend, but it seems like he’s not far off. That would take away most of the fantasy value for Ben Brown and Phil Maton.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters Palencia is responding well to treatment and there’s a chance he could be activated in two weeks. The 26-year-old closer hit the shelf last Friday with what was believed to be an oblique strain, but additional imaging revealed a shoulder issue. The fact that he’s going to be cleared to resume throwing and the club doesn’t believe it’s a major issue is reassuring. Caleb Thielbar is the favorite to close for the Cubs until his absence.

It’s unclear when Palencia suffered the injury as he hadn’t pitched since last Sunday. In the topsy turvy world of the Cubs bullpen, which somehow carries five left-handed relievers at the moment, our best guess is that Ben Brown would be in line for saves if the Cubs choose to use a traditional closer going forward. It’s possible this becomes a full-blown committee in Palencia’s absence. It’s great news that it’s not an arm injury — at least for the long-term — but the 15-day placement tells us this is serious for Palencia and something that could stretch well into May.

He walked one and struck out two while not allowing a hit. Palencia came in to pitch in a tie game, and he kept it knotted up with the Cubs scoring in the bottom half to give Palencia his first win of the season. The 26-year-old has yet to give up a run in 2026, and has a firm grasp on the closing position for the Cubbies.