Chicago Cubs: Daniel Palencia cooks in latest rehab outing, nearing return to majors

The Chicago Cubs may currently be on a two-game losing skid after dropping a series to the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field, but their postseason outlook still looks good.

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Even with the recent injury of Dansby Swanson and the horrendous outing from returning starting pitcher Edward Cabrera, the Cubs’ chances of making the playoffs still fall in the high-90 percentile according to oddsmakers.

The team currently sits five games below the first place Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central Division, but they are still in possession of the top Wild Card spot in the league, five games ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies.

And there’s also some good news to offset some of the recent bad news.

More injured Cubs pitchers are on the mend and expected to be major league-eligible shortly. Hoby Milner is close to finishing his rehab assignment. Shelby Miller will soon be starting his own minor league rehab. Ben Brown and Justin Steele are also expected back before the end of the regular season, in time to add some beef to the playoff pitching staff.

Palencia dominates in latest rehab outing

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And, of course, there’s Daniel Palencia.

The Cubs’ hard-throwing closer was placed on the IL—his second stint on the IL this season—back on June 16 with a right elbow flexor strain. Up until this point, Palencia has only managed to log 16.2 innings with the big league Cubs with a 2.70 ERA and just 3 saves.

However, two brutal rehab outings in the minors, with a beyond-ugly combined ERA of 33.83 in 1.1 innings, had fans and media rightfully concerned over whether the high-leverage righty could get back into the groove this season.

Well, Palencia’s latest rehab appearance on Sunday offered a great big breath of reassurance that the bullpen asset is actually on the right track and will soon be ready for a big league return.

Pitching against the St. Paul Saints, Palencia delivered one shutout inning, allowing one hit, but striking out the side. Best of all, his control was back in check and his velocity saw him sitting at 98.7 mph and topping out at 100 mph.

If one looks at the black-and-white stats on a screen, a 19.31 ERA through three outings is obviously not impressive. But having his performances trending upward is a cause for optimism, as is his boost in speed and control.

What happens when Palencia return?

So, what happens when Palencia gets back to the majors?

There’s no guarantee that he immediately gets reinstated as the team’s closer. As a matter of fact, manager Craig Counsell has held fast to the idea that he’s looking at the best man for a particular job and prefers flexibility when working bullpen options.

Jacob Webb has performed brilliantly as the team’s de facto closer. The trade deadline acquisition of Ryan Zeferjahn from the Angels also gives the bullpen a possible late-inning impact arm.

Time—and Palencia’s performance—will tell what happens with Daniel Palencia the rest of this season.

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