The Chicago Cubs’ pitching plans have taken a significant hit that could reverberate throughout their entire season. Left-hander Justin Steele is set to undergo flexor tendon surgery on his injured left elbow, and Cubs manager Craig Counsell confirmed that this means Steele will miss the rest of the 2025 campaign. This news arrives amidst a promising start for the Cubs, who opened the season with a 10-7 record against a challenging early schedule.
Steele’s placement on the 15-day injured list due to elbow tendinitis was a tough break, but the news about the surgery is nothing short of a devastating blow. With his absence, the Cubs find themselves scrambling to fill a void in a rotation that was expected to be a team strength, especially with Steele and Shota Imanaga leading the charge.
A fifth-round draft pick by the Cubs in 2014, Steele’s journey has been anything but simple. He faced Tommy John surgery in 2017 as he navigated the minor leagues, but his perseverance has paid off handsomely. Steele proved to be a product of the Cubs’ evolving pitching infrastructure, which had been a source of uncertainty for several years under the previous front office regime led by Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer.
He made his major league debut in 2021, finishing that season with a 4.26 ERA over 20 appearances, including nine starts. By 2022, he secured a rotational role, showcasing his potential with a solid 3.18 ERA in 24 games. However, an unfortunate back injury sidelined him for the season’s final month.
But Steele’s breakthrough really came in 2024. He posted an impressive 16-5 record with a 3.06 ERA over 173.1 innings, earning his first All-Star selection and finishing fifth in National League Cy Young voting. Yet, it was also a season marked by injuries, with a forearm issue causing him to miss some time. The most recent setback began with a fluke hamstring injury on Opening Day 2024, which transitioned into his current elbow concerns.
Reflecting on his injury situation, Steele noted that the discomfort felt familiar—an unsettling reiteration of what he had experienced the previous season. His desire to pinpoint the issue was apparent, and he was in the process of gathering opinions before the surgery’s confirmation. Counsell had spoken about the need for clear information regarding Steele’s condition, indicating the team’s commitment to getting this right.
The timing of this news is particularly disheartening given that Steele had just delivered his best performance of the season against the Texas Rangers, tossing seven shutout innings while racking up eight strikeouts. That level of intensity is exactly what the Cubs were counting on as they pushed through a demanding schedule.
In light of Steele’s absence, Colin Rea looks set to take his place in the rotation. Rea was brought on board this offseason to bolster rotation depth and has shown promise, having started the season in the bullpen but managing to pitch 5.1 scoreless innings thus far. He’s expected to get the call in Sunday’s series finale against the Dodgers.
Additionally, there are other options on the horizon. Javier Assad, who began the spring with an oblique strain, is scheduled for a rehab outing with Triple-A Iowa Cubs, and he might return by the month’s end. Jordan Wicks is also in the mix, having pitched three innings for the I-Cubs on Sunday.
With Steele’s injury, the Cubs face a pivotal moment that could shape the course of their season. As they strategize to compensate for this loss, the upcoming weeks will test the depth of their pitching staff and the resilience of the team.
