Chicago Cubs offer intriguing update on Justin Steele

The Chicago Cubs have been besieged by pitching injuries all season. In a lot of ways, it’s a minor miracle that the team didn’t just fold and give everyone a great big “wait ‘til next year.”

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Aside from losing emerging ace Cade Horton for the season after just two starts, the team has also suffered through two IL stints apiece from Matthew Boyd, Edward Cabrera, and closer Daniel Palencia while watching injury shut down the seasons of breakthrough asset Ben Brown, Phil Maton, Hunter Harvey, Riley Martin, and, at least indirectly, Hoby Milner.

Then, of course, you have to throw in the non-comeback of Justin Steele.

The 31-year-old, who had become Chicago’s ace and one of the most reliable starting pitchers in all of baseball, underwent elbow surgery in April of last year and was actually ahead of schedule with his rehab as the 2026 season began. There was some serious talk that the southpaw could be back at his rotation gig as early as late-May or mid-June.

But then Steele suffered a left elbow flexor strain in April, which saw him get shut down for an entire month. When he was allowed to pick up a ball again, the team was very cautious and deliberate with what he was allowed to do.

He’s now, however, three outings into a rehab assignment in Iowa and the unavoidable “when will he come back” talk has been flying.

The Cubs have already killed off any idea of Steele returning to the rotation this year, but they’ve left open the possibility of a bullpen role. And despite a 6.35 ERA through 5.2 innings in Triple-A, his return is a really appealing option for a bullpen that has given off a bad, near-collapse, vibe at various points in the late-season.

A Justin Steele update

MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago Cubs Mar 18, 2025; Bunkyo, Tokyo, JPN; Chicago Cubs pitcher Justin Steele (35) talks to media members before the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the Tokyo Series at Tokyo Dome. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

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Over the weekend, there was an update on just where Steele stands in his recovery.

Per Jared Wyllys of CHGO Sports:

“Counsell said Justin Steele will be in Chicago Sunday to throw a bullpen in front of the pitching coaches here.

From there, he’ll have at least one more outing with Triple-A Iowa.”

With two weeks left in the regular season, time is running out on the safe reintegration of the former ace. Even the most minor of setbacks would probably push his comeback to 2027.

In a perfect world…

Mar 27, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Justin Steele (35) pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

As far back as the end of July, though, Steele said that he was throwing with no pain.

‘‘Obviously, I want to be back,’’ he told reporters at the time. ‘‘Front office, the pitching coaches, the team — everybody wants me back. But you don’t want to rush it to the point where you do get back into games and you’re one or two outings in and you start to feel the soreness starting to creep back in. Then you’re kind of turning the clock back at that point.’’

‘‘Everything feels good,’’ he added. ‘‘Fastball, sinker, slider, curveball — everything’s there.’’

In a perfect world, Steele gets sharp, bringing his bulldog attitude and field-level leadership to the Cubs bullpen in time for the playoffs and to assume the role of key lefty reliever. But as we’ve seen throughout this season, a perfect world is rarely in the cards.

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