Palencia tossed a scoreless ninth inning with a strikeout to earn the save in a 1-0 win over the Guardians in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader.
Palencia has been sharp so far this year with three scoreless appearances, though Sunday marked his first save opportunity and conversion. The hard-throwing righty led the Cubs with 22 regular-season saves in 2025, and that was after not beginning the year as the team's closer. Palencia was the Opening Day closer this year, and the save chances should start to stack up as the season progresses, giving him a fairly high ceiling as a fantasy option.