The Cubs, it turns out, are making TWO roster moves in the bullpen in advance of tonight’s game in Pittsburgh.
The first swapped Julian Merryweather and Keegan Thompson on the active roster, and the second will do the same for Jack Neely and Daniel Palencia:
The timing is humorous, because the Merryweather/Thompson swap came ripe for “ok, but also kinda want to see Palencia … ” comments. And now here we go.
Palencia, 24, was really hot and cold earlier this year in his time in the big league bullpen, sometimes looking unhittable, and other times getting crushed. He was nominally injured, and then ultimately optioned to Iowa, where he’s been working since mid-May.
The results have likewise been hit and miss at Iowa (3.57 ERA since May 24, 39.6% K, 13.5% BB, mostly great outings, a few implosions), but the stuff seems to have been ticking up and up, and the velocity is now frequently sitting in the triple digits throughout his appearances. I’d love to see how that carries forward now that he’s back in the big leagues. We know he has a special arm, and developing consistency (especially when pitching for a second straight day) will be the difference between a guy who just can’t stay in the big league bullpen, and a guy who locks down late innings. He has that kind of stuff.
As for Neely, he also has that kind of stuff, but this was always something of a cup of coffee for him (since he had to go on the 40-man roster by November anyway). The development goal for him is to be a contributor next year, even if only in an up-down capacity because of how many quality young arms the Cubs have in this tier. This first taste of the big leagues will hopefully be useful for his development, and it’s still possible we see him again before the year is up.