Chicago Cubs Clinch Playoff Berth Despite Injuries to Key Players

For the first time in five years, the Cubs will be in the playoffs. With Wednesday’s win over the Pirates, the Cubs secured their place in the postseason. Only two teams – the Brewers and Phillies – clinched their spots earlier than the Cubs have.

Remarkably, the Cubs have done this despite injuries to multiple key players on the roster.

Most notably, they have been without right fielder Kyle Tucker since he landed on the injured list with a left calf strain on September 9 (with the move to the injured list retroactive to September 6). Tucker had started to find his form at the plate again after struggling through a hand injury for much of June and July, and the most recent news on Tucker’s injury doesn’t bode well for him coming back soon.

Before Wednesday’s game, it was reported that Tucker was headed to Tampa, Florida for further treatment on his calf after attempts at the team facility weren’t working.

“We’re aligned with Kyle, and this is the best way for him to make some improvements,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters. “Unfortunately, we’ve plateaued and we weren’t making progress, and that’s frustrating for Kyle.”

Tucker is still unable to run without experiencing some pain, even though he has been able to start throwing and hitting successfully during his rehab. This may jeopardize his ability to get back in the lineup before the regular season ends on September 28. Obviously, the Cubs would like Tucker to get some at-bats in before the playoffs start, but time is rapidly running out for that to happen.

On a more encouraging front, closer Daniel Palencia – who suffered a right posterior shoulder injury that landed him on the injured list on September 6 – seems to be progressing well. He resumed mound work over the weekend and threw in Pittsburgh, and Palencia is expected to head to Triple-A Iowa this Saturday for a rehab assignment. If that goes well, he could be back with the big league club for at least a few games before the playoffs begin.

Questions about Palencia’s trustworthiness as a closer had begun to emerge before his injury, thanks to the 5.23 ERA he posted in August and the 22.50 ERA in three September outings. But it would be wrong to ignore what he had done in the months prior to that, particularly in July, when Palencia earned six saves in ten appearances and did not give up a run.

And even if he isn’t at his best, having Palencia in the bullpen expands Counsell’s options, something which is badly needed in the postseason.

The Cubs have also been without designated hitter/outfielder Seiya Suzuki for several days because of bronchitis, relief pitcher Ryan Brasier with a groin strain since late August, and catcher Miguel Amaya for nearly the entire season. All three could be returning soon, which is good news for the Cubs.

The Cubs’ chances of winning the National League Central were more or less squandered during the summer months, when they spent several weeks playing right around .500 baseball while the Milwaukee Brewers got red hot. Even though the Brewers have since cooled off – a little – while the Cubs have gone 10-5 in September, that is still only good enough to get the Cubs within 4.5 games of the Brewers. It would take a simultaneous collapse of the Brewers with a really hot final stretch for the Cubs in order to see a standings flip in the NL Central.

If that were to happen somehow, the Cubs would claim their first division title since 2017, which is also the last year they won a playoff game. Since then, they lost the 2018 National League wild card game against the Rockies and the 2020 wild card round against the Marlins.

Getting back into the postseason is a sign the Cubs are moving in the right direction, and fans will undoubtedly be happy that the team is playing October baseball again, but the aforementioned lack of recent playoff success also means the expectations this year are for more than just getting a seat at the postseason table.

If the Cubs can get Tucker and Palencia back – and preferably before the regular season ends – along with guys like Brasier, Suzuki, and Amaya, then their chances of not just winning a wild card game but advancing to the next round get a lot better.

It’s reasonable to expect that they can do that, given that the Cubs have gotten this far despite injuries to key players throughout the season. They have been winning games this way since April, so perhaps they can keep doing it in October.