Cubs Star Closer Daniel Palencia Exits Game With Scary Looking Shoulder Injury

The Chicago Cubs may be about to lose their star closer.

Aug 31, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Daniel Palencia (48) delivers a pitch in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs lost a brutally disappointing game on Sunday afternoon when they gave up five ninth inning runs to the Washington Nationals to blow the lead and drop the series at home against an inferior opponent.

Though no one likes to lose a series especially in the kind of fashion the Cubs found a way to do today, there are bigger concerns as the game came to a close. Chicago's closer Daniel Palencia -- who has been one of the stories of the season but struggled mightily over the last month -- surrendered the runs then appeared to damage his shoulder while staying in the game.

Palencia gave up the five runs without recording an out, but it was his final pitch with will leave the team and fans with the most concern of all:

Daniel Palencia exited today's game with an apparent injury. pic.twitter.com/n19CIATSUD

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) September 7, 2025

According to a report after the game from baseball insider Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Palencia was set to undergo testing for tightness in his posterior right shoulder.

Cubs closer Danny Palencia, after giving up 5 runs in the 9th, is being tested for tightness in his posterior right shoulder.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) September 7, 2025

What Has Been the Problem For Palencia Recently?

Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

The flamethrower entered the weekend with a 2.16 ERA and 1.100 WHIP, striking out 57 in 50 innings with just 15 walks and 22 saves on the year. He was even able to strike out two in a scoreless inning during a loss on Saturday.

That ERA climbed to 3.00 on Sunday, however the struggles have been already there for the 25-year-old. In the month of August, Palencia had a 5.23 ERA and just did not look like the same electric reliever he had been for so much of the season.

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Whether or not the injury he suffered on Sunday is related to the fact that he has not been at his best as of late remains to be seen, but it stands to reason there could have been some sort of mechanical issue that has prevented Palencia from performing and could have contributed to him getting hurt.

The team will await to find out the severity of the issue, but Palencia certainly appeared to be in a lot of pain and clearly there was some serious concern. If he is out for an extended period, things just got a little bit tougher for a Cubs team which lately has just been trying to hang on.

His status is going to be monitored closely over the coming days as fans eagerly await to hear the status of their closer pending what the testing looks like.

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