CHICAGO — After Monday’s 5-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell announced that lefty starter Justin Steele would be scratched from his scheduled start on Tuesday night with elbow soreness. Immediately, worst-case scenarios were played out in many minds as the idea of the Cubs being without one of baseball’s best starters would have possibly crushed their already slim playoff hopes.
But after getting an MRI on Tuesday morning, Steele and the Cubs struck a positive tone, hoping the lefty could avoid an injured list stint and at worst be back to pitch before the end of the season.
“Still a little bit tight, dealing with some soreness,” Steele said at his locker Tuesday afternoon in Chicago. “Just been in the training room trying to work that stuff out. Got some imaging done today and was happy with the news. We’re getting some more opinions on it and then we’ll go from there.”
Steele said it’s an issue he’s been managing, but couldn’t pinpoint an exact moment when it really started bothering him. During his bullpen in Washington, D.C., over the weekend, both Steele and pitching coach Tommy Hottovy noticed something wasn’t right. That’s when the decision was made to get his elbow checked out.
“There was no severe nerve damage or anything like that.”
Justin Steele after the MRI on his elbow. pic.twitter.com/m2xOcee1Ng
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Entering play on Tuesday, the Cubs were 3 1/2 games behind the Atlanta Braves for the final wild-card spot and didn’t hold the tiebreaker with either them or the New York Mets, who entered the day one-half game behind Atlanta. FanGraphs gives the Cubs a 4 percent chance of making the playoffs.
“I want to be able to go out there and pitch and not feel anything,” Steele said. “Obviously we’re in a tight situation with the playoffs and stuff, so I want to get out there as soon as possible.”
The Cubs are being cautious by getting another opinion and covering their bases with one of their best pitchers. As important as it is for them to try to make a run this month, they also know that Steele’s health is critical to their success beyond 2024.
“The player wants to be out there,” Counsell said. “At the same time, we have to make the right decision for the players. We’re glad Justin said something. We want to get some answers. If the answers are this is going to go away quickly, this is going to resolve or you’re not at risk for hurting yourself, then we feel much better about going out there and pitching.”
After a breakout 2023 season, Steele finished fifth in Cy Young Award voting. Despite injuring his left hamstring on Opening Day and missing the first month of the season, Steele has been brilliant this year. He’s given the team a 3.09 ERA in 128 innings and, along with Shota Imanaga, has consistently been a bright spot for this team all season.
According to Steele, Dr. Stephen Gryzlo, the Cubs team doctor, said the MRI results showed there was no severe damage, just some inflammation that was expected to be found. Steele went on the 15-day IL in June 2023 with left forearm tightness and returned once eligible. He said where the pain is and how he’s feeling right now is similar to what happened last summer.
Counsell said if Steele is ready to go in five to seven days, he’ll avoid an IL stint. If he gets the all-clear, the hope is he’ll start throwing again on Wednesday. Even if there is a need to put Steele on the IL, both he and Counsell said he wouldn’t be ruled out for the season. With Jordan Wicks returning from the 60-day IL on Sunday, Kyle Hendricks will slot back into the rotation and start in Steele’s place until he is ready to return.
(Photo of Justin Steele: Patrick Gorski / USA Today)
