When Cubs starter Justin Steele landed on the injured list with elbow tendinitis on April 8, there was early optimism that the issue was relatively minor — and with that, hope that his stint away from the mound would be a short one.
“We’re going to get some more opinions on it,” manager Craig Counsell told reporters just days before Steele shared that he would need season-ending surgery. “We’re kind of dealing with the same thing we dealt with last year and, for that reason, I think Justin wants to make sure, and we want to make sure, that we get the right information moving forward. So, he’s going to get another opinion and then we’ll go from there.”
A second opinion revealed that Justin Steele requires surgery to repair damage to his flexor tendon and address his ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow. It’s still uncertain whether he’ll need Tommy John surgery — that determination won’t be made until doctors operate.
“You feel for Justin, just the competitor he is. He wants to be out there,” pitching coach Tommy Hottovy told reporters on Sunday. “He wanted me to know from him and talk through it a little bit, and kind of talk through what options he had and what plans he had. That’s the kind of guy he is. He wants to respect the work we’ve all put in together. We’ve known each other for a long time now.”
Justin Steele’s injury is a tough setback for a Cubs team that’s off to a strong start. Sitting atop the NL Central with an 11-7 record and a league-best +43 run differential, Chicago has impressed despite a brutal early schedule that included series wins over the Dodgers, Rangers, and Padres.
Still, the road ahead remains difficult, and Steele’s absence makes it even harder to sustain their current momentum.
If the Cubs want to hold onto first place and capture their first division title since 2017, two key moves are in order.
First, they need to lock up Kyle Tucker with a long-term extension. While it may not directly relate to Steele’s injury, securing Tucker’s future would give them the confidence to move on to the next step: dealing from their minor league depth to acquire a starting pitcher and reinforce the rotation.
