CHICAGO — Cubs closer Daniel Palencia has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a left oblique strain, the team announced Friday.
Palencia, 26, was off to a good start to his season after helping Venezuela to the WBC championship last month. He had one save in five games without giving up a run before getting injured. He joins setup men Phil Maton (knee) and Hunter Harvey (triceps) on the injured list as the Cubs are dealing with a rash of injuries on the mound.
Palencia first felt an issue with his lower back on Wednesday in Philadelphia but got through a bullpen session Friday morning before experiencing soreness during conditioning afterwards.
Editor’s Picks
“I felt something weird there,” Palencia said. “It got a little tight. Just trying to be smart. Hopefully, I’ll be ready soon.”
Counsell was asked if Palencia will need more testing to determine the severity of the injury.
“If it lingers, yes, we will,” manager Craig Counsell said. “The fact that his bullpen went well, gives up some optimism. I don’t think he’d be able to do that with a high grade strain but we’ll know more in the coming days.”
The team also announced that righty Cade Horton had his second career Tommy John surgery on Thursday and will be out for 15 to 16 months. Horton finished second in Rookie of the Year voting last year and was to be one of Chicago’s top starters going into this season.
“When something like this happens, the only thing you can do is worry about what’s next,” Counsell said. “Putting your head around some big time frame isn’t very helpful. Cade talked about worrying about today and making today the best you can.”
The Cubs did get good news Friday as starter Matthew Boyd (biceps) came out of a rehab assignment in good shape and is scheduled to pitch next Wednesday. That should help the bullpen, which is in extreme need of right-handed help, as either Javier Assad or Colin Rea will move into a relief role to help overcome the loss of Palencia and others.
