Chicago Cubs activate Daniel Palencia, DFA veteran pitcher

Boyd and Maton are already active. Roberts, Wicks, and Hollowell are also back, pitching for the Iowa Cubs. Thielbar has resumed throwing and is expected back mid-May. Harvey, meanwhile, is a step behind Thielbar in his recovery and has just started a throwing program.

The Cubs also announced on Sunday morning that closer Daniel Palencia has been activated from the IL.

The right-hander was placed on the IL April 17 and originally diagnosed with an oblique strain, which was later changed to a milder and easier to rehab lat strain.

After a single rehab outing with the Iowa Cubs, the team had seen enough to feel confident in bringing him back to the big league roster. In two-thirds of an inning against the St. Paul Saints on May 1, Palencia struck out one, allowing one hit and no runs. His velocity was an eye-catching 100-102 mph and he threw 14 of his 19 pitches for strikes.

The plan going forward

“Optimistic we can get him back here after that outing, if all things go well,” manager Craig Counsell told reporters before the Cubs’ 6-5 Friday win over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field.

“He’ll go back to getting outs. We’ve got to get Danny pitching. We want to get him pitching a lot. He’s got five innings right now.”

So far this year, Palencia has only made 5 major league appearances, with his last being on April 12.

To make room on the 26-man roster, veteran right-hander Yacksel Rios was designated for assignment. The 32-year-old, 7-year veteran had been picked up by Chicago—his sixth major league team—in the offseason on a minor league contract as a depth piece. He had only pitched in one game, going 1.2 scoreless, hitless innings on April 26 against the Dodgers. If/when he clears waivers, he’ll probably be welcomed back to the Cubs’ Triple-A squad.

But having Palencia back is definitely good news for a roughed-up Cubs pitching staff that has lost many of its top arms and has had to dip into their pitching reserves for emergency fill-ins.