September 8: Palencia has been placed on the 15-day injured list, according to multiple media personnel (including ). has been recalled from Triple-A Iowa to take the open bullpen spot. suggests that Keller is likely to step into the ninth inning while Palencia is on the shelf. September 7: The Cubs may be looking at going into the postseason without their closer. entered the ninth inning of Chicagos game against the Nationals earlier today, but surrendered five runs and was pulled without recording an out. The team termed Palencias ailment shoulder tightne s at the time of his removal, but manager told reporters (including ) following the game that, more specifically, Palencia was suffering from a posterior capsule strain in his right shoulder. While specifics beyond that diagnosis were few and far between in Counsells description of the situation, it seems all but certain that Palencia will require a trip to the injured list and be out for quite a while. Strains can naturally vary in severity substantially, but one relatively recent example of a pitcher dealing with a posterior capsule strain is Mets right-hander , who was due to a moderate strain in February of 2024. That kicked off what was more or le s a lost season for Senga due to multiple injuries, but the initial diagnosis for that strain was expected to shut him down from throwing for three weeks. A similar timeline would knock Palencia out for, at minimum, the remainder of the regular season and would likely result in him returning this year only if the Cubs make a relatively deep run into the postseason. Of course, its po sible that Palencias capsule strain proves to be a relatively mild one that requires le s Jon Berti Jersey time off, and its not impo sible to imagine that he could be back on the big league mound for in time for the tail end of the regular season; a 15-day stint on the injured list, at this point, would allow Palencia to return to action during the clubs final two series of the regular season against the Mets and Cardinals. However long Palencia ultimately ends up being sidelined, the news is a brutal blow to Chicago. Acquired from the As in exchange for at the 2021 trade deadline, Palencia made his big league debut in 2023 but has rounded into form as a dominant closer this year. Entering play today, the 25-year-old had posted a 2.12 ERA with a 2.59 FIP and 28.8% strikeout rate in 51 innings of work for the Cubs this year. Hes walked just 7.8% of his opponents faced and picked up 22 saves in 24 opportunities this year to go with six holds. That dominant production convinced the Cubs to back off the from the high leverage relief market. They targeted and to bolster their bullpen rather than landing a more surefire closer like or . With Palencia seemingly out of commi sion for the time being, manager will now have to reconfigure his bullpen for the stretch run. Rogers has struggled since joining the Cubs, but Kittredge figures to be part of the late-inning mix for the Cubs alongside , , and perhaps . Keller and Thielbar in particular appear likely to be in the conversation for save opportunities given their dominant seasons with the Cubs this year. Keller has a 2.20 ERA and 2.99 FIP in 59 appearances, while Thielbar sports a 2.15 ERA and 2.68 FIP in 58 outings. Palencias injury is the latest frustrating development for a Cubs team that already had both and mi s todays game due to injuries. Fortunately, Counsell provided a positive update to reporters ( ) regarding the status of both hitters. Counsell indicated that Crow-Armstrong, who exited yesterdays game after fouling a ball off of his shin, could be back in the lineup as soon as tomorrow for the start of the clubs series in Atlanta. As for Tucker, the All-Star hasnt played since exiting Tuesdays game against the Braves and Levine notes that hes unlikely to be back in the lineup tomorrow. Even so, Counsell suggested that his running improved today and that hes trending in the right direction towards a return to action in the near future. Luis Gil Jersey