In theory, we should be absolutely FREAKING out.
The 2025 playoff-bound Chicago Cubs are exactly eight days away from their first postseason series in five years … and their STAR right fielder (acquired this offseason at a hefty price and for exactly one season) is rehabbing in a different state from an injury that wasn’t even initially meant to land him on the IL. Meanwhile, the Cubs’ third choice for closer, Daniel Palencia, only just began a rehab assignment in Iowa, after a bout of ineffectiveness led directly into an on-the-mound injury and extended absence.
And, yet, we’re all just kinda humming along, content to watch the rookie, Moises Ballesteros, take over for Tucker indirectly via DH and Andrew Kittredge/Brad Keller cover for Palencia.
Unfortunately, the Chicago Cubs are a better team when Kyle Tucker is healthy and when Daniel Palencia is at his best. So, for however okay you are with them missing time right now, it behooves the Cubs to get them back and preparing for October as soon as possible. To that end, some updates.
© Patrick Gorski-Imagn ImagesKyle Tucker
As you may recall, Kyle Tucker left Chicago to go consult with a Tampa-based physical therapist with whom he’s worked in the past. As of this morning, per Patrick Mooney at The Athletic, that work has “not yet progressed to running,” though Tucker has been hitting.
He’s also supposed to return to Chicago today to be re-evaluated before the final homestand of the season begins tomorrow, but it sounds like Tuesday is not even on the table as a potential return date.
And if that’s the case, as Mooney points out, we could be talking about just FIVE games for Tucker to get his timing back before the postseason begins (and that’s assuming, aggressively, he is back on Wednesday). Not great.
The one upshot here is that Kyle Tucker is famously not a big preparation guy when it comes to hitting. He takes Spring Training very lightly and does not hit before games either. So that’s at least something to hold onto (Mooney also calls on us to remember Kyle Schwarber’s triumphant return for the World Series, but whatever …). The other is that he returned last September after being injured and was good for the Astros down the stretch, too.
The more frustrating thing for me is that Tucker had finally started hitting again when he went down. After he got his few games off during that August Brewers series, Tucker had a rough first game back … and then went nuclear for 47 plate appearances: .400/.489/.800 (253 wRC+), including four doubles, four homers, and elite levels of hard contact and barrels. It was a small sample, but still almost 50 plate appearances of as good as it gets.
So anyway, that’s the bottom line. Tucker is headed back to Chicago today to be re-evaluated, Tuesday’s game is unlikely, but maybe he can return some time this week. That said, he has reportedly not even been running, so it’s difficult to understand how he’ll be incorporated when he is ready to hit (maybe Seiya Suzuki is the starting right fielder and Moises Ballesteros takes over full-time DH duties?).
© David Banks-Imagn ImagesGood News for Daniel Palencia
Daniel Palencia left the Cubs game with shoulder tightness on September 7 and hadn’t retaken a competitive mound until this weekend in Iowa. Fortunately, that outing went well. Statistically, Palencia faced four batters, giving up two hits and striking out two. He also had both his velocity (multiple pitches over 100 MPH) and command (15 of 21 pitches went for strikes).
Final line for Daniel Palencia: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K. Threw 21 pitches including 15 for strikes. Palencia got four whiffs and topped out at 100.5. Three of his pitches went 100 (100.5, 100.4 and 100.2).
— Tommy Birch (@TommyBirch) September 21, 2025More generally, Palencia checked all the recovery boxes the Cubs wanted to see, with his shoulder holding up well to the renewed action off the mound. He was scheduled to return to Chicago yesterday and is expected to be activated soon. From there, it’s anyone guess how he’ll be used. But here’s something I think we all need to agree on: When he’s at his best, Daniel Palencia is the best reliever the Cubs have. His stuff is electric and elite, even relative to the modern era.
Keller and Kittredge have done well in his absence, but you’d strongly prefer to be able to use AT LEAST Keller more freely, knowing you have Palencia in the hole for a save.
The problem is, like Kyle Tucker, the Cubs just don’t have a ton of time left to see IF Daniel Palencia is at his best (and I mean that both in terms of health and ALSO his effectiveness). And you can’t just run him out there over and over from until the end of the season, because (1) he’s coming off an injury and (2) you want him somewhat rested for the postseason.
It’s a tricky balance, but the sooner he’s back, the better.
Please go check out the rest of Patrick Mooney’s post at The Athletic, as he has additional interesting information and background on Shota Imanaga, Brad Keller, and the “taxi squad” the Cubs are setting up in Arizona as the minor league season winds down.
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