Cubs Closer Daniel Palencia Placed On Injured List: What It Means For The Bullpen

The Chicago Cubs on Monday placed closer Daniel Palencia on the 15-day Injured List with a right shoulder strain, recalling Ethan Roberts from Triple-A Iowa to fill his roster spot.

Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic was the first to report the news, which came after Palencia blew the save in Sunday's 6-3 loss to the Washington Nationals at Wrigley Field. Palencia entered the game with a two-run lead but did not retire any of the five batters he faced, with Washington taking the lead on Josh Bell's three-run home run into the basket.

Daylen Lile followed Bell's homer with a triple, and after Palencia missed well inside with a first-pitch fastball to Andrés Chaparro, he went into a squatting position in obvious pain. He was immediately removed from the game, with Porter Hodge replacing him.

Daniel Palencia is going on the 15-day IL with a right shoulder strain. Ethan Roberts recalled from Iowa
— Sahadev Sharma (@sahadevsharma) September 8, 2025

Palencia, 25, is in his third season with the Cubs and took over as the primary closer in May following injuries and struggles from Ryan Pressly and Hodge. His 51 innings pitched this year are easily a career high, and after blowing his first save opportunity on May 19 against the Miami Marlins, he converted 15 in a row before his next blown save in early August.

However, the last few weeks have been shaky for the hard-throwing right-hander from Venezuela. He twice entered road games in late August in the ninth inning with the score tied, and both times allowed the winning run to score. Dating back to August 3, Palencia has allowed at least one earned run in seven of his last 14 appearances, following a streak of 12 straight outings without giving up an earned run.

Palencia is in the top 1 percent of MLB pitchers in fastball velocity, according to Baseball Savant, regularly sitting at or above 100 miles per hour. He throws his four-seam fastball more than 70 percent of the time, with the slider as his most-used secondary pitch.

Craig Counsell said Daniel Palencia felt tightness in the 'posterior right shoulder' and was removed from Sunday's game. pic.twitter.com/sPLtKqGzb9
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) September 7, 2025

What Palencia's injury means for Cubs' bullpen

Roberts, also a hard-throwing righty, has bounced between Chicago and Iowa over the last two seasons and has a 6.00 ERA in nine innings at the big-league level this year. He has made just one MLB appearance since the end of April, allowing a run on two hits in two-thirds of an inning against the Boston Red Sox on July 20.

The Cubs' bullpen has been a work in progress all season. Several unheralded offseason and early-season moves — the acquisitions of Brad Keller, Caleb Thielbar and Drew Pomeranz — have paid immense dividends. Others, most notably Pressly, did not work out nearly as well.

Hodge and trade deadline addition Andrew Kittredge have each saved two games this year, while Keller, Theilbar and Pomeranz have one save apiece. If Palencia's injury persists into a potential postseason run, the Cubs will have to piece things together and figure out the best option for the ninth inning, or just play it situationally based on matchups.

Ethan Roberts — Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

Following the series loss to the Nationals, the Cubs (81-62) fell 7.5 games behind the National League Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers with three weeks left in the regular season. Chicago still holds the top NL Wild Card position, three games ahead of the San Diego Padres and five ahead of the New York Mets entering Monday's game in Atlanta against the Braves.

Injuries had already reared their ugly heads on the last homestand. All-star outfielders Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong went down with a calf and a knee injury, respectively. Crow-Armstrong is back in the lineup Monday night, though he will be the designated hitter. Tucker remains out for the fifth straight game, but was working out on the field pregame, per Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.

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