Chicago Cubs ace Justin Steele “an option” for failing bullpen

Chicago Cubs pitching is hobbling its way towards the playoffs, dragging a badly wounded bullpen behind it.

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On Tuesday, the Cubs wasted a very good start from Shota Imanaga and some solid work from four relievers when they blew their chance to clinch a playoff spot in extra innings at Wrigley Field against the Miami Marlins.

Cubs pitching was cooking until the twelfth when Caleb Thielbar and Edward Cabrera combined to allow 6 runs, leading to an 8-2 loss.

It was ugly. It was so ugly that it has people once again grasping at the slightest bit of hope when it comes to finding some workable bullpen fits ahead of the postseason.

One of those “slightest bits of hope” is former Cubs ace Justin Steele, who finished his minor league assignment and is, apparently, in consideration for a bullpen spot as soon as this weekend.

Justin Steele…The Comeback?

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On Tuesday, manager Craig Counsell made that sliver of optimism a maybe, possible reality, telling reporters that the veteran lefty is an “option” for the last weekend series of the regular season against the Boston Red Sox.

“He’s an option, I guess is the best way to say it,” Counsell said. “He’s gonna throw a bullpen tomorrow. So, I think the plan for him is to be an option this weekend possibly and we’ll just kinda see what this weekend has in store for us and what this weekend gives us…I guess I’m really encouraged [that] he pitched really well his last outing and I think that’s a good feeling for me, just to have success and to feel like I threw the ball well as you kind of work through this process and work to get back. That’s a great sign. There’s other considerations after Justin, I guess, from a team perspective that we’ve got to figure out and make sure that we make the right decisions.”

Those “other considerations” have to do with the roster realities facing the team ahead of the playoffs and the fact that using Steele—in what may be little more than a feel-good token outing before a 2027 full return—may bump another pitcher off the list of realistic postseason options.

There aren’t too many people who truly believe that Steele, at this point, is going to jump right into the mix after almost two years of recovery from elbow surgery and then a right flexor strain to be an every day option in the Cubs’ postseason bullpen.

Cautious optimism

Cubs president Jed Hoyer, like Counsell, was cautious to not go too far in talking up the possibility of a Steele comeback this season.

“He’s in the discussion, which I think is a win for him, that he’s come that far,” Hoyer told Cubs.com. “We just have to, candidly, see where we are, see what’s happened and then we’ll make that decision.”

As a starter, the 31-year-old worked his way into becoming the Cubs’ ace and one of baseball’s top starters over the course of four full seasons, posting 3.34 ERA through 91 games. He went down to a season-ending elbow injury in April of last season, in just his fourth start of the year. His recovery was later stalled when he suffered a flexor straing rehabbing his elbow.

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