SAN DIEGO – There is still a chance that Justin Steele will pitch for the Cubs this season, but his comeback timeline has officially been pushed back.
On Tuesday, Cubs manager Craig Counsell noted that Steele recently felt discomfort in his throwing elbow during a bullpen session in Arizona. Steele already had a planned checkup with Dr. Keith Meister for Tuesday, when imaging revealed that the left-hander is currently dealing with a flexor strain.
“We’re going to get less of him this year,” Counsell said. “But there’s still plenty of time for him to get back this year.”
The original goal for the Cubs was to possibly work Steele back into the fold by late May or June, given the lefty’s initial progress from the revision repair surgery he underwent (via Meister) on April 18, 2025, to address damage to his ulnar collateral ligament. Now, barring further setbacks, some time in the season’s second half looks like a more realistic target.
For the time being, the 30-year-old Steele (on the 60-day injured list) will be shut down from throwing until he is asymptomatic. The pitcher will then have another check-in with Meister in roughly a month. It is possible Steele will resume a throwing program prior to that visit, but it all depends on the progress made in the coming weeks.
Counsell said the good news was that the UCL had no structural damage.
“Everything about the UCL was fine. There’s no issues,” Counsell said. “But it’s going to slow him down, clearly. It’s something where he’s just going to get pushed back here and he’s going to have to take a little bit of rest time.”
Steele has gone 32-22 with a 3.30 ERA in 102 appearances (91 starts) for the Cubs dating back to 2021. The lefty grew into an All-Star and Cy Young contender in '23, when he finished 16-5 with a 3.06 ERA in 30 starts for the North Siders. He had another strong campaign in '24 (3.07 ERA in 24 starts) before the elbow issue flared in April last year.
Steele was throwing bullpens during Spring Training and advanced to facing hitters by the time the Cubs broke camp at the end of March. He continued to build up in live BP sessions over the past month and was closing in on returning to rehab games before this setback.
“More than anything, just for Justin, it’s frustrating,” Counsell said. “During the course of these rehabs, there are always good days and bad days that you navigate through. … When you're close to the end and you get told, ‘No, we’re back into rehab mode,’ that’s tough.”
Counsell was asked if the Cubs need to look deeper into some of the injuries that have hit the roster. Beyond Steele, rookie Cade Horton and reliever Porter Hodge have been lost for the season due to right elbow surgery. There has also been a steady wave of injuries to hit the bullpen over the past few weeks.
“Look,” Counsell said, “I think when you have a lot of injuries, of course, we try to examine everything we’re doing. I think we should. … Absolutely, you’re trying to make sure your processes are good and you're not doing anything that make players more exposed to injuries.”
PALENCIA MAKING PROGRESS
Closer Daniel Palencia (15-day IL, left lat) threw a bullpen session and then did some aggressive running and agility work on Tuesday, per Counsell. The manager said the pregame workout went well and noted that Palencia might be activated soon, if he recovers well into Wednesday.
“It went very well,” Counsell said. “We have to see what tomorrow looks like in terms of how does he feel? And then we’ll be able to determine the next step.”
DAY OFF FOR BREGMAN
Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman was out of the starting lineup on Tuesday due to left foot soreness. Bregman was hit by a pitch on the front of his foot while facing Dodgers lefty Justin Wrobleski in the fifth inning on Sunday. Counsell is hoping by giving Bregman a rest day, the issue won’t persist.
“He wasn’t in good shape [Monday] night, essentially as the game went on,” Counsell said Tuesday. “It affected his running pretty significantly by the end of the game last night. He feels better today, for sure. I think if we can give him most of today off, he’s going to put this behind him.”