The Chicago Cubs have announced that Justin Steele is on the 15-day injured list. Steele is out due to left elbow tendinitis, which developed after his dazzling start on Monday night against the Texas Rangers. Steele, 29, went seven scoreless for the Cubs Monday night but started noticing the irritation to his pitching arm around the fifth inning. It persisted into his recovery work Tuesday morning. Now, the southpaw will have more time to recover and get back to full strength before rejoining the starting rotation.
Chicago Cubs Manager Craig Counsell has not made clear his to replace Steele in the starting rotation for the time being, if he has any plan at all. With an off-day on Thursday and two more on the schedule before Steele is due back from the IL, the Cubs could weather the storm of Steele’s absence without disrupting the pitching staff. If there is an open slot in the starting rotation, Counsell may opt for Colin Rea or Brad Keller out of the bullpen, or Jordan Wicks from AAA. Javier Assad is not ready to return to action until the beginning of next month.
Justin Steele Shelved With Elbow Tendinitis
The Chicago Cubs will be without Starting Pitcher Justin Steele for the next couple of weeks as the southpaw is heading to the injured list due to left elbow tendinitis. Steele suffered the injury in the fifth inning of his start Monday night against the Texas Rangers but stayed in the game to finish seven scoreless innings in the Cubs’ 7-0 win. Steele reported feeling discomfort in his pitching arm during his recovery work on Tuesday, leading to the decision to put him on the 15-day IL.
Left elbow tendinitis is the same ailment that ended Steele’s 2024 campaign, leading to concerns about his long-term health and ability to contribute to the 2025 Chicago Cubs. Steele is not overly concerned and was nonchalant when addressing the injury with the media, saying, “I was coming in yesterday prepared to kind of go about the normal rotation, normal standard in between start stuff. Now we’ll I guess just try to figure out exactly what it[the injury] is and attack it.”
Counsell shed some light on the situation when talking to the press on Tuesday after the decision, saying, “He said he felt good going out there. I think he himself was a little confused: ‘Is it the cold or is it my elbow? We’re going to take the conservative route here. He had symptoms of an injury that he experienced last year. For that reason, rather than having him focus on his next start, I think it’s just best that we back off that and make sure he recovers in a really good place. We’re hoping it’s the minimum and he can be ready to go in a couple of weeks.”
How the Chicago Cubs Adapt
With Steele on the 15-day IL the Chicago Cubs will have to find a short-term bandage for their starting rotation, although Counsell hasn’t ruled out going with a four-man rotation until Steele is ready to return. Counsell said, “I think we’re in a position to just keep everybody kind of on good rest. I don’t think we need to push anybody right now. I think that’s how we’ll think about it.”
With an off-day Thursday and two more before Steele is scheduled to come off the IL on April 23 it’s possible for the Cubs to make do without Steele and keep their rotation as-is. The strategy moving forward will be clearer when the results of Steele’s MRI come back. With the Tuesday announcement that the Cy Young Award finalist will be heading to the IL, the team scheduled a Thursday MRI.
If the Chicago Cubs opt to make changes to their starting rotation in Steele’s absence, there are three possibilities for a replacement. Rea and Keller are veterans on the staff with experience as starting pitchers and have pitched well so far in 2025. Another option for the Chicago Cubs is to bring up Wicks. Wicks has been with the team in each of the last two years but finds himself in AAA to open the 2025 season. These three are secondary options to the incumbent fifth starter Javier Assad, who is nursing an oblique injury and is out until May.
