BALTIMORE – Cubs lefty Justin Steele shared a handwritten letter from a young fan earlier this week that was not seeking an autograph, but served simply as a get-well message for the sidelined pitcher.
“I watch the Cubs all the time,” wrote the fan. “And it is much more exciting when you are pitching. I can’t wait until the second half of the season when you are expected to return.”
Cubs manager Craig Counsell said some good news arrived this week.
Counsell noted that Steele met with Dr. Keith Meister on Tuesday and everything checked out well, giving the lefty some peace of mind and clearance to continue building up in his throwing program in the coming weeks. Barring any setbacks, Steele is on a path to get back on a mound in early August.
“We’re in good shape. We’ll move forward,” Counsell said. “It’s all good news.”
The 30-year-old Steele – an All-Star and Cy Young contender in ‘23 for the North Siders – has been out all season following left elbow surgery in April of last year. He then encountered a setback (left flexor strain) in April that forced a shutdown period after Steele (60-day injured list) was closing in on a return to game action.
Steele resumed a throwing program during the June 22-25 road series against the Mets and has continued to play catch. After reuniting with the Cubs last month following a rehab period in Arizona, the lefty expressed optimism that he would return this season.
“There’s obviously a ton of value in being smart in this situation,” Steele said. “But, there’s also just the simple fact that we’re working with a calendar here as well. I’m going to pitch in games. I’m going to come back and compete. That’s just the point blank, bottom line. That’s going to happen. Whatever I do to get there, we’re working on that process.”
Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said late last month that Steele was not expected to return as a starting pitcher this season. Coming back as a reliever has not been ruled out. Counsell echoed that stance Wednesday afternoon.
“The schedule is very tight with Justin,” Counsell said. “And it doesn’t leave [room] for a lot of things to happen – there’s no question about it. Stretching out as a starter is not really realistic with the calendar.”
Other injury updates:
- Reliever Phil Maton: Worked 1 2/3 innings for Triple-A Iowa in a rehab outing on Wednesday, throwing 13 of his 15 pitches for strikes and ending with three strikeouts. Counsell said Maton (15-day IL, right knee) will likely have another rehab outing before the All-Star break.
- Starter Jameson Taillon: After a successful Minor League rehab start with High-A South Bend on Sunday (3 1/3 innings, 45 pitches), Taillon is slated for another rehab start Saturday with Triple-A Iowa, per Counsell. The righty should be ready for activation after the break.
- Reliever Ethan Roberts: Counsell noted that Roberts (15-day IL, right forearm) threw off the mound in a bullpen session Wednesday, and would likely have another mound workout before the All-Star break.
- Utility man Matt Shaw: Shaw (10-day IL, left hand) was still symptomatic after swinging a bat this past weekend, per Counsell. The manager said Shaw would rest for a handful of days with the goal of testing things out again this coming weekend.