After battling injury and declining velocity, Daniel Palencia’s dominant outing against the Reds signals a timely return to form as he targets the Cubs’ vacant closer role.
Things have not been great for Chicago Cubs reliever Daniel Palencia since returning from the injured list.
Palencia landed on the 15-day injured list back on June 16 after dealing with some right elbow inflammation. The Cubs eventually diagnosed him with a right flexor strain, and the hard-throwing right-hander was set to miss multiple weeks.
Palencia then returned to the Cubs on August 21 just in time for the stretch run. The Cubs got their closer and one of their top relievers back in the fold. He had a strong 2.70 ERA and a 26.8% strikeout rate in his first 19 appearances before his injury.
However, since returning from that injury, Palencia has really struggled to get into a groove on the mound. His fastball velocity is a bit down, he hasn’t been nearly as sharp in high-leverage spots, and his ERA continues to rise.
The 26-year-old entered Saturday’s contest with a 7.27 ERA and a mere 18.4% strikeout rate over his last 10 appearances. He allowed eight runs (seven earned runs) across 8 ⅔ innings and struck out more than one batter in just two of those 10 relief appearances.
Those numbers are obviously not what the Cubs are used to seeing from Palencia. He posted really strong numbers earlier in the year and was one of the team’s best relievers throughout the 2025 campaign. The Venezuelan-born pitcher had a 2.91 ERA, 22 saves, and a 28.4% strikeout rate in 54 appearances last year.
While things have sort of been rough for Palencia over the last few weeks, the Cubs right-hander could be turning a corner. He just delivered his best performance since coming off the injured list last month.
Palencia threw two scoreless innings with three strikeouts in the Cubs’ 5-2 win over the Reds on Saturday. The young reliever entered the game in the top of the sixth to reliever starter Matthew Boyd following his five strong innings. He proceeded to strike out Elly De La Cruz looking on a splitter at the top of the zone and then strike out Sal Stewart swinging on a slider.
Palencia then had another clean inning in the seventh. He got Eugenio Suarez to fly out, Juan Brito to fly out, and got JJ Bleday to strike out looking on a beautifully placed slider at the top of the zone.
After throwing two scoreless innings on Saturday, Palencia has now not allowed an earned run in his last 6 ⅓ innings. He has earned a hold in back-to-back relief appearances, and his fastball velocity was up in this recent appearance against the Reds.
It appears that Palencia is finally getting back into a rhythm on the mound. This comes at the perfect time with only seven regular season games remaining. This stretch of nice relief appearances could also help him earn the closer role back.
The Cubs don’t have a set closer right now after Jacob Webb’s struggles in that role recently. Palencia could eventually earn that job back with the playoffs right around the corner.
