The Chicago Cubs' decimated pitching staff may have just taken its biggest hit yet.
Former All-Star Justin Steele, who's been rehabbing from elbow surgery, has been shut down after suffering a flexor strain in his left elbow, manager Craig Counsell said Tuesday, according to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic.
The setback leaves Steele's immediate future in question. The team was hoping he'd be ready to start a minor-league rehab assignment soon, with a possible return in late May or early June. Now, he's without a timeline.
"This is a place that's hard because there's not much you can say to make a person feel better in this situation," Counsell said. "The grind of a rehab, unfortunately, can do this to you. You don't have a choice but to kind of take it in and try to go have a good day tomorrow. Today was obviously not a good day for Justin. But I think that's the attitude he's going to take. It's your only choice, really, in this thing."
Steele hasn't pitched in a game since last April, when he underwent season-ending surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament. It was the second time he needed an elbow procedure, after undergoing Tommy John surgery as a prospect in 2017.
The 30-year-old finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting in 2023 after going 16-5 with a 3.06 ERA, 3.02 FIP, 1.71 WHIP, and 176 strikeouts over 30 starts. He only made 24 starts in 2024 because of injuries, but still posted a 3.07 ERA and 9.0 K/9 rate across 134 2/3 innings.
The Cubs had been counting on Steele to help rescue a pitching staff that's been hit hard by injuries in the early stages of 2026. Including Steele, Chicago currently has 10 pitchers on the injured list, with seven of those being relievers. Burgeoning ace Cade Horton, last season's NL Rookie of the Year runner-up, had Tommy John surgery earlier this month.
Despite all the injuries, the Cubs enter play Tuesday having won 11 of their last 15 games and sit 1 1/2 games out of first place in the NL Central.
