CHICAGO (AP) — Cubs closer Daniel Palencia was reinstated from the 15-day injured list Wednesday and available to pitch against the New York Mets in a game with postseason ramifications for both teams.
In a corresponding move, Chicago optioned left-hander Jordan Wicks to its training complex in Arizona.
Palencia went on the injured list Sept. 8 with a right shoulder strain. The 25-year-old right-hander has 22 saves in 25 chances and is 1-6 with a 3.00 ERA in his third major league season — all with the Cubs.
He was a day after blowing his third save opportunity and getting hurt during a ninth-inning meltdown against Washington as the Nationals came back for a 6-3 win.
Palencia entered that game with a 3-1 lead, faced five batters and did not get an out. He yielded five runs, giving up two homers, a triple, a single and a walk. His four-seam fastball averaged 98.5 mph, down 1.1 mph from his season average, and his splitter averaged 86.8 mph, a drop of 1.3 mph.
On Wednesday, Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Palencia might not return immediately as the closer or in high-leverage situations.
“I just want Daniel to pitch, you don’t care where,” Counsell said. “I think we’ve got to get Daniel outings. We’ve got to get Daniel on this mound. That’s the only thing that’s important.”
The 26-year-old Wicks is 0-1 with a 7.94 ERA in seven relief appearances covering 11 1/3 innings for Chicago this season.
The Cubs entered Wednesday on a season-high five-game losing streak after clinching a playoff berth last week in Pittsburgh. Chicago was still in the top NL wild-card spot, two games ahead of the San Diego Padres, and its magic number to secure home-field advantage for next week’s Wild Card Series was three.
The Mets entered holding the final National League wild card, one game ahead of Arizona and Cincinnati.
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