Chicago Cubs right-handed reliever Daniel Palencia (shoulder) threw off a mound on Monday for the first time since going on the 15-day injured list on Sept. 8 with a right-shoulder strain. Palencia resumed playing catch on Sept. 12 and has continued his rehab with positive results. While there's no timetable on the 25-year-old's return, it seems he has a good chance to return before the end of the month if he can avoid setbacks as he continues to ramp up. Palencia will be a big part of Chicago's bullpen for the postseason, as he has converted 22 of his 25 save opportunities this year and has a 3.00 ERA in 52 games pitched. With Palencia sidelined, both Brad Keller and Andrew Kittredge have picked up saves, but Kittredge is manager Craig Counsell's preferred option in the ninth inning, having saved three games in the last week.

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell said that right-handed reliever Daniel Palencia (shoulder) played catch at Wrigley Field on Friday, according to Andy Martinez of Watch Marquee Sports. It's a notable step for Palencia, as it's the first time the closer has thrown a ball since he suffered a strained right shoulder on Sunday. Currently on the 15-day injured list, the 25-year-old is eligible to return to the big-league bullpen on Sept. 23, but it's unclear if he'll be ready by then. Before his injury, Palencia was serving as Chicago's primary ninth-inning man while posting a 3.00 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 59:16 K:BB, and a career-high 22 saves in 51 innings pitched. Since he landed on the shelf, Andrew Kittredge has the Cubs' only save, but veteran Brad Keller could also factor into the short-term saves picture.

The Chicago Cubs placed right-handed reliever Daniel Palencia (shoulder) on the 15-day injured list on Monday with a right-shoulder strain and recalled pitcher Ethan Roberts from the minors in a corresponding move, according to Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times. Palencia didn't retire any of the five batters he faced in Sunday's series finale against the Washington Nationals and took his third blown save of the season before the team announced he had shoulder tightness. There's a good chance that the hard-throwing 25-year-old closer won't be able to rejoin Chicago's bullpen before the end of the regular season, although the Cubs will surely be hoping he can return for the postseason in October. With Palencia on the shelf for at least two weeks, fantasy managers should look for right-hander Brad Keller to take over closing duties on the North Side.

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Daniel Palencia (shoulder) is likely to miss time after suffering an injury during Sunday's game against the Washington Nationals. Palenica was removed from Sunday's outing due to tightness in his right shoulder. Before exiting, Palencia was destroyed for five earned runs on four hits with one walk in the loss. There is no word on how long Palencia will be sidelined, but a trip to the injured list seems likely. Brad Keller is likely going to be the next man up in the bullpen, but Porter Hodge should also be in the mix for saves in Chicago.

It wasn't pretty, but Chicago Cubs closer Daniel Palencia earned his 22nd save of the season in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Braves. Palencia came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by one. He got the first out on a strikeout, allowed a single, got the second out on a fly-out, allowed another single, and left the tying run stranded on third with a fly-out. The 25-year-old hasn't been the most consistent lately, but he has put together a solid season overall. He has converted 22 of 24 save opportunities with a 2.16 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, and a 10.26 K/9 rate in 50 innings of work. Palencia should continue to provide plenty of fantasy value for the rest of the season as the Cubs push towards the playoffs.

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Daniel Palencia was called upon to hold a one-run lead versus the Colorado Rockies on Saturday. Palencia didn't have any issues as he struck out two batters over a scoreless inning to earn his 21st save of the season. The right-hander is in the middle of a breakout campaign. He holds a 2.02 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and a 56/15 K/BB ratio with 21 saves after Saturday's outing. Palencia is 7-of-8 in save chances in August and should be rostered in all fantasy formats where saves matter.

Chicago Cubs closer Daniel Palencia (1-4) took his fourth loss of the season in a 4-3 defeat against the San Francisco Giants on Thursday. Palencia entered to pitch the bottom of the ninth in a 3-3 game and retired the first batter he faced before surrendering three straight singles - two softly hit balls and a walk-off line drive by Jung Hoo Lee. The right-handed Palencia has slumped a bit this month, having given up five earned runs on 13 hits and four walks (12 strikeouts) in 9 1/3 innings. Overall, though, Palencia has been outstanding this season. He owns a 2.06 ERA with a 1.06 WHIP, 54:15 K:BB, and 20 saves across 48 frames.

Chicago Cubs right-hander Daniel Palencia earned his 20th save on Sunday as the Cubs went on to beat the Los Angeles Angels 4-3. Palencia entered the game with a one-run lead and had to work his way around a leadoff single and a one-out walk. Palencia proceeded to strike out his final two batters and has now converted 20 out of 22 saves on the season to go along with six holds, a 1.89 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and a 54/15 K/BB ratio in 47 2/3 innings pitched. Palencia had a bit of a challenging stretch in early August, where he allowed an earned run in three of his four outings, but has since recorded four saves in his last four outings. He remains one of the top closers to own in fantasy baseball.

Chicago Cubs right-handed reliever Daniel Palencia recorded his 17th save of the season in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Brewers, giving up a hit and a walk while striking out one in a scoreless ninth inning. The hard-throwing right-hander threw 11 of his 17 pitches for strikes and ended the game on a slider that produced a game-ending double play. Palencia has been rock-solid overall with a 1.81 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 17 saves, and a 47/12 K/BB through 44 2/3 innings pitched. However, he has been somewhat inconsistent in August, allowing runs in three of his six appearances with a blown save in four opportunities. Still, he appears to have a firm hold on the Cubs' closer job and remains a top closing option for fantasy managers down the stretch.

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Daniel Palencia (illness) didn't take the mound during the ninth inning of Saturday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Instead, Brad Keller was tasked with recording the final three outs on Saturday. Afterwards, manager Craig Counsell said that Palencia was feeling under the weather, so they gave him a day off. This probably wasn't a bad idea considering Palencia gave up the go-ahead home run in the top of the ninth inning on Friday. Despite that, Palencia has been excellent with a 1.85 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and a 46/11 K/BB ratio with 16 saves this season. He figures to return to his gig as the primary closer in a few days.

Chicago Cubs reliever Daniel Palencia recorded his 12th save of the season on Sunday, working a perfect inning with a strikeout in his team's 4-1 win over the New York Yankees. The 25-year-old earned his first save for the Cubs on May 21 and hasn't looked back, converting 12/13 save chances. In 34 1/3 innings, he's pitched to a 1.57 ERA and 0.88 WHIP with 39 strikeouts. Palencia's 2.73 xERA entering play on Sunday points to likely second-half regression, but even still he's a valuable piece of the Cubs bullpen. Palencia appears locked into the team's closer role for now, but that could change if the Cubs make a notable bullpen addition or two at the trade deadline.

Chicago Cubs closer Daniel Palencia shut the door on the New York Yankees to collect his 11th save in a 5-2 win on Saturday. Palencia entered with one out and a man on first in the bottom of the ninth inning and retired both hitters he faced, striking out Jazz Chisholm Jr. and inducing a Trent Grisham groundout. He needed just nine pitches to close out the Yankees. Palencia has gone six straight appearances without allowing an earned run, dropping his ERA to 1.62 in 33 1/3 innings. The 25-year-old right-hander also carries a 0.90 WHIP with 38 strikeouts and 11 walks, and his only blown save came back on May 19.

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Daniel Palencia picked up his ninth save of the season in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Guardians. Palencia came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by three and shut the door with a 1-2-3 performance, including two strikeouts. The 25-year-old has served as the team's primary closer for the last month and has converted all but one of his save opportunities this season with a 1.80 ERA, a 0.97 WHIP, and a 10.50 K/9 rate in 30 innings of work. Veteran Ryan Pressly has seen some save opportunities as well, but he has taken a back seat to Palencia, who is rostered in just 45 percent of leagues. The Cubs' strong performance this season and Palencia's increasing responsibilities make him worth a roster spot in at least all roto leagues at this time.

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Daniel Palencia got into a little bit of trouble, but was able to recover during Thursday's outing against the St. Louis Cardinals. Palencia hit Willson Contreras with a pitch and gave up a hit to put himself in a dangerous situation. He was able to work through the inning by recording three strikeouts to earn his eighth save of the season. Things got a little heated afterwards with Contreras not liking Palencia celebrating. It looks like the Cubs are going to continue leaning on Palencia until he gives them a reason not to trust him. Palencia is a solid option for saves right now and he should be rostered in most fantasy formats where saves matter.

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Daniel Palencia picked up his seventh save of the season and his second consecutive save in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Brewers. Palencia came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by two. He got the first two outs on a strikeout and a pop-out, allowed a double, and ended the game with a fly-out. The 25-year-old has been excellent this season, converting all but one of his save opportunities with a 1.67 ERA, a 0.96 WHIP, and a 9.67 K/9 rate in 27 innings of work. Teammate Ryan Pressley has five saves this season and earned one of them in the last seven days, but it appears that Palencia is the highest-upside bullpen arm to roster for fantasy purposes.

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Daniel Palencia picked up his third save in the last seven days in Monday's 3-1 win over the Rockies. Palencia came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by two and delivered a 1-2-3 outing with two strikeouts. The 25-year-old seems to have taken over as the team's closer with Ryan Pressly struggling and Porter Hodge (oblique) on the injured list. He has seen all three of the team's save opportunities in the last seven days and has converted them all. Palencia has an impressive 1.93 ERA, a 0.86 WHIP, and a 9.16 K/9 rate in 18 2/3 innings of work. The Cubs have been solid this season and Palencia is currently rostered in just 17 percent of leagues, making him a prime waiver-wire target in at least all roto leagues at this time.

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Daniel Palencia was asked to come on in the ninth inning with a three-run lead on Sunday. Palencia had an ugly outing against the Miami Marlins earlier in the week, but has looked better on the mound since then. On Sunday, Palencia tossed a scoreless ninth inning to earn his second save of the season. The right-hander has been mostly solid this season with a 2.04 ERA in 16 appearances. It looks like Palencia is going to be the primary closer in Chicago right now. The Cubs don't have a ton of options with Ryan Pressly struggling and Porter Hodge (oblique) sidelined right now. Palencia is worth a look for fantasy managers seeking bullpen help.

Chicago Cubs right-handed reliever Daniel Palencia picked up his second career save in Wednesday's series finale against the Miami Marlins in the 2-1 victory at LoanDepot Park. It was a nice bounce-back outing for Palencia, who blew the save and took the loss in Monday's series opener in Miami. The 25-year-old Venezuelan hurler threw a clean inning on Wednesday without allowing a hit, walking anyone or recording a strikeout. Although nothing is official, Palencia could see more save chances going forward with Porter Hodge (oblique) recently landing on the 15-day injured list. After his scoreless outing against the Fish, he now has a nice 2.16 ERA and 0.90 WHIP with 16 strikeouts in his 16 2/3 innings of work out of the bullpen. Fantasy managers desperate for saves may want to consider adding Palencia off the waiver wire.