The Chicago Cubs suffered a sweep at the hands of the division rival Cincinnati Reds on Sunday with some serious playoff implications.

The Reds surged their way into the wild card standings with the sweep and now the Cubs have officially yielded the National League Central to the Milwaukee Brewers. So, as the Cubs prepare for a wild card playoff series of their own ahead, they are focused on ending the regular season with as complete and healthy a roster as possible.

First and foremost, that will place the focus on superstar outfielder Kyle Tucker, whose status remains uncertain since he was sidelined with a calf strain.

But there is more clarity around another key player, Daniel Palencia, who leads the team in saves this season.

“Daniel Palencia checked the boxes during Saturday’s rehab appearance with Triple-A Iowa, testing his right shoulder and feeling good enough that he was scheduled to return to Chicago on Sunday, seemingly moving closer to claiming his spot in a playoff bullpen,” Patrick Mooney reported for The Athletic. “‘He’ll re-join us,’ (manager Craig) Counsell said, ‘and we’ll figure out activation.'”

With the Cubs deciding to bring Palencia back to the big-league squad, it seems likely that a return for the playoffs is ahead. And that could be critical for a deep Cubs run, as Palencia has been the team’s most trustworthy high-leverage arm.

Palencia has a 3.00 ERA and 22 saves across 52 games this year, while Andrew Kitteredge and Ryan Pressly, the only other pitchers with at least five saves this year, both have ERAs above 3.50.

When individual matchups become that much more critical in the playoffs, a healthy and effective Palencia could be a difference maker.

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