Daniel Palencia: Everything you need to know

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said that Palencia (lat) will make a rehab appearance with Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports. The Cubs had left open the possibility of activating Palencia from the 15-day injured list Friday, but they've decided to have him pitch in a rehab game first. If Palencia and the Cubs are satisfied with how things go Friday, it could be the only rehab outing he needs before returning to the active roster. Palencia is working his way back from a strain in his left (non-throwing) lat.

Palencia (lat) could be activated from the 15-day injured list before Friday's game against the Diamondbacks, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports. Palencia is working his way back from a strain in his left (non-throwing) lat and has experienced enough improvement that he could skip a rehab assignment and return to action this weekend. The hard-throwing closer notched one save and tossed five scoreless innings before getting injured. Palencia's return would be a big boost to a bullpen that's also without Caleb Thielbar (hamstring) and Hunter Harvey (triceps).

Manager Craig Counsell said Tuesday that Palencia underwent an MRI that revealed a lat strain, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports. Palencia initially landed on the injured list Friday with a left oblique strain, but imaging has now confirmed him to be dealing with a lat issue. Counsell noted that the 26-year-old reliever is responding very well to treatment and could begin throwing by the time the Cubs begin their weekend series in Los Angeles. If his rehab continues to progress smoothly, he may be cleared to return to Chicago's bullpen in about two weeks.