15-Day IL
Injury Oblique
Est. Return 5/1/2026
2026 Stats
W-L
1-0
ERA
0.00
WHIP
1.00
K
5
SV
1
Rest-of-Season Projections
2026 Fantasy Outlook
Palencia took over closing duties for the Cubs last May and was lights out in the role, pitching to a 2.12 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 59:15 K:BB across his first 51 appearances before a strained right shoulder sidelined him for a few weeks in September. The 25-year-old was the only Cubs pitcher to record double-digits saves (22), good for a 50 percent team save share. Palencia also finished third among relievers with a 99.6 mph average fastball velocity; a pitch he tossed 71 percent of the time while occasionally mixing in a slider and splitter. Upon his return from injury, the right-hander pitched earlier in games, but he was deployed in important spots during the playoffs. Pencil him atop the Cubs' closer hierarchy for now, but keep in mind the team's front office will need to re-tool this pen after losing several key relievers to free agency. Chicago could sign a reliever or two with more closing experience, relegating Palencia to the highest-leverage moments earlier in games. Read Past Outlooks
Signed a one-year contract with the Cubs in March of 2026.
Shelved by oblique strain
The Cubs placed Palencia on the 15-day injured list Friday with a left oblique strain.
Analysis
It's unclear when Palencia -- who hasn't pitched since Sunday -- was hurt, but the injury will knock him out at least for the next couple weeks and likely longer. The Cubs are also currently without Hunter Harvey (triceps) and Phil Maton (knee), so their late-inning bullpen depth is thin. Caleb Thielbar could be the next man up for saves, with Ben Brown also an option.
It's unclear when Palencia -- who hasn't pitched since Sunday -- was hurt, but the injury will knock him out at least for the next couple weeks and likely longer. The Cubs are also currently without Hunter Harvey (triceps) and Phil Maton (knee), so their late-inning bullpen depth is thin. Caleb Thielbar could be the next man up for saves, with Ben Brown also an option.
Pitching Stats
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2026 MLB Game Log
2026
2025
2024
2023
Minor League Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
14
Last 10 Games
14
Last 5 Games
14
How many pitches does Daniel Palencia generally throw?
1-10
11-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
71-80
81-90
91-100
101-110
111-120
121+
What part of the game does Daniel Palencia generally pitch?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2024
-28%
BAA vs RHP
2026
-100%
BAA vs RHP
| BAA | K | BB | H | HR | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2024vs Left | .268 | 40 | 21 | 33 | 4 | |||
| Since 2024vs Right | .192 | 42 | 9 | 28 | 1 | |||
| 2026vs Left | .333 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | |||
| 2026vs Right | .000 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2025vs Left | .242 | 29 | 14 | 22 | 4 | |||
| 2025vs Right | .210 | 32 | 2 | 22 | 1 | |||
| 2024vs Left | .348 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 0 | |||
| 2024vs Right | .182 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 0 | |||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | |||||||
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2024
-13%
ERA at Home
2026
No Stats
| ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2024Home | 3.16 | 1.13 | 42.2 | 9.5 | 3.0 | ||||
| Since 2024Away | 3.64 | 1.45 | 29.2 | 11.2 | 4.9 | ||||
| 2026Home | 0.00 | 1.25 | 4.0 | 9.0 | 4.5 | ||||
| 2026Away | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1.0 | 9.0 | 0.0 | ||||
| 2025Home | 3.13 | 1.11 | 31.2 | 9.7 | 2.6 | ||||
| 2025Away | 2.57 | 1.19 | 21.0 | 11.6 | 3.0 | ||||
| 2024Home | 5.14 | 1.14 | 7.0 | 9.0 | 3.9 | ||||
| 2024Away | 7.04 | 2.35 | 7.2 | 10.6 | 10.6 | ||||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | ||||||||
Stat Review
How does Daniel Palencia compare to other relievers?
This section compares his stats with all relief pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 30 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
K/BB
2.50K/9
9.0BB/9
3.6HR/9
0.0Fastball
99.1 mphERA
0.00WHIP
1.00BABIP
.248GB/FB
1.00Left On Base
100.0%Exit Velocity
86.3 mphBarrels/BBE
7.7%Spin Rate
2066 rpmBalls Hit 95+ MPH
38.5%Swinging Strike
22.5%Prospect Rankings History
Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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More Fantasy News
Picks up win against Pittsburgh
Palencia (1-0) picked up the win over the Pirates on Sunday, allowing one walk with two strikeouts in a hitless and scoreless ninth inning.
Analysis
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Secures first save Sunday
Palencia tossed a scoreless ninth inning with a strikeout to earn the save in a 1-0 win over the Guardians in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader.
Analysis
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Closes door in non-save situation
Palencia worked around a hit in a scoreless frame in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Angels. He struck out one and walked none.
Analysis
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Dominant during WBC
Across five appearances for Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic, Palencia did not allow a hit while logging five scoreless innings and striking out nine.
Analysis
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Named closer by manager
Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday that Palencia will open the season as the team's closer, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.
Analysis
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Could miss start of playoffs
Palencia could miss the start of the 2025 playoffs after exiting Sunday's game against the Nationals with a shoulder injury, according to Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com.
Analysis
The Cubs initially tabbed the injury as shoulder tightness, but manager Craig Counsell later told reporters, including Levine, that, more specifically, Palencia was suffering from a posterior capsule strain in his right shoulder. It sounds as if Palencia will need a trip to the injured list, and based on recent players who've had these injuries, he could be sidelined without throwing for multiple weeks. That scenario would mean the Cubs would have to open the playoffs, providing they clinched a berth, without their closer. Even after a disastrous outing Sunday in which he didn't record an out, Palencia owns a 3.00 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP across 51 innings this season while converting 22 of his 25 save opportunities.
The Cubs initially tabbed the injury as shoulder tightness, but manager Craig Counsell later told reporters, including Levine, that, more specifically, Palencia was suffering from a posterior capsule strain in his right shoulder. It sounds as if Palencia will need a trip to the injured list, and based on recent players who've had these injuries, he could be sidelined without throwing for multiple weeks. That scenario would mean the Cubs would have to open the playoffs, providing they clinched a berth, without their closer. Even after a disastrous outing Sunday in which he didn't record an out, Palencia owns a 3.00 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP across 51 innings this season while converting 22 of his 25 save opportunities.