Cubs News: Nico Hoerner injury, Daniel Palencia rehab, former Cub headed to Mexico

We're going streaking (again). The Chicago Cubs ran off 10 straight wins, then dropped three consecutive games and, with Friday's win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, have put together a three-game winning streak, pulling into a tie for first in the NL Central.

The win wasn't all sunshine and roses, though. After leading off the game with a double and coming around to score as part of a three-run Cubs' first, Nico Hoerner was pulled from the game with left neck tightness. The Gold Glove infielder insisted it wasn't an injury and manager Craig Counsell didn't seem overly concerned in his postgame comments.

“It got worse on the swing and run around the bases,” Counsell told MLB.com after the game. “He tried to go out there in the second and he couldn’t throw. He just couldn’t move his neck at all. It’s a muscle thing. We’ll see how he’s doing [Saturday]. It may be a day or two, but I think it’ll be fine after that.”

Hoerner's double extended his on-base streak to a dozen games. We'll see if he's in the lineup Saturday. If not, expect to see Matt Shaw, who came in for him Friday, to take his spot at second.

Cubs closer Daniel Palencia inches closer to his return

We had heard there was a chance Daniel Palencia could rejoin the team Friday, but the Cubs opted to have him make a rehab appearance with Triple-A Iowa instead. It seems safe to say he's ready to go.

The big right-hander regularly ran his fastball into the 101-102 MPH range, punching out one and throwing 19 pitches Friday night, with 14 going for strikes. His return will add some badly-needed firepower to the Chicago bullpen that barely hung on in Friday's victory (shoutout Jacob Webb for two scoreless frames and his first save of the year).

He's far from the only injured Cubs reliever. Caleb Thielbar remains sidelined, along with Hunter Harvey, Ethan Roberts and Riley Martin. Still, Palencia is a big addition and could really solidify the late innings.

Forgotten 2021 Cubs outfielder is heading to the Mexican League

If you don't recall the hodge podge of guys who put on a Cubs uniform in 2021, nobody blames you. The emotional trade deadline saw Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Anthony Rizzo all get dealt, among others, and that was easily the most memorable part of that season.

But, for 25 games, Chicago area native Nick Martini patrolled the outfield for the club - with a big chunk of action coming in May and the rest in September, slashing just .270/.356/.297. His complete lack of power led to a disappointing 80 OPS+, but especially down the stretch, most folks weren't locked in to how the team was playing.

The next chapter in Martini's career is at hand, with the 35-year-old heading south to join the Piratas de Campeche of the Mexican League. After his stint in Chicago, he spent a year in Korea before returning stateside and spending some time with the Reds and Rockies.

Oh, and some other forgettable members of that '21 squad? Michael Hermosillo, Tony Wolters, Trent Giambrone - seriously, go look at the full roster. It's a dark trip down memory lane.

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