The Chicago Cubs will get Daniel Palencia back from injury soon, but it won’t be in his former role. Bruce Levine of 104.3 The Score reports that Palencia won’t return as the closer, but will still maintain an important role in the bullpen.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell uses the term “out-getter” when describing Palencia’s potential role. It appears that it’s less specific about which inning he pitches, but rather about deploying him in situations that could swing the game.
That is pretty common with how managers will deploy leverage arms in the postseason. This situation gives Counsell a six-week trial run and gives him the information necessary to pick and choose his spots when the stakes get raised.
The Cubs will have to clear a spot on their 40-man roster when they officially activate Palencia. The right-hander was transferred to the 60-day injured list recently to make room for infielder Owen Miller.
Why the Cubs Have Changed Daniel Palencia’s Role
GettyJacob Webb has taken over the closer role for the Cubs in Daniel Palencia’s absence. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The decision to move Daniel Palencia out of the ninth inning stems from Jacob Webb’s performance. The 33-year-old has been a godsend to the Cubs bullpen, pitching to a 2.25 ERA and locking down nine saves in 56 appearances.
Webb took over the closer role after Palencia went down with the elbow injury. Since June 17, the right-hander has pitched to a 1.42 ERA with 27 strikeouts and 10 walks over 25.1 innings. He’s converted nine of his 10 save opportunities over that stretch.
With the ninth inning solidified, that means Counsell can work backward. Ryan Zeferjahn, Caleb Thielbar, and Trent Thornton should get the leverage spots in the late innings ahead of Webb.
So without a clearly defined role, in the sense of what inning Palencia gets, that could allow Counsell to strategically deploy his former closer. The most likely situations he’ll pitch in are high-leverage, inherited runner situations. Other options would be to deploy him against the strongest parts of an opposing lineup.
However, Palencia is not too familiar with that role. Closers typically don’t see a lot of inherited runners to begin with. In the last two seasons, the 26-year-old has only inherited 10 runners. But the good news for the Cubs is he hasn’t allowed a single one to score.
Cubs Bullpen Receiving Reinforcements in Key Stretch
GettyShelby Miller gives the Cubs another potential late-inning arm for the stretch run. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
The Cubs should get more reinforcements in their bullpen in the coming days. Right-hander Shelby Miller and left-hander Hoby Milner are both on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa. Getting those two back gives Counsell two more options for the postseason.
However, they might not get back Hunter Harvey this season. The Cubs took a flyer on him for $6 million, but he has been nowhere close to returning since his setback in May. Counsell said that time is running out for the right-hander to return before the series finale vs. the Chicago White Sox.
The final six weeks give Counsell the ability to pick and choose his spots carefully with all of his relievers. They have a stranglehold over a postseason spot, with a six-game lead over any potential Wild Card competitor in the National League. At the same time, they’re only 4.5 games back of the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central division.
The hope is that by the time the Cubs enter the postseason, the bullpen is as healthy as possible and each reliever has a role. Each series will require different needs out of the unit.
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