The Cubs were hoping for a dramatic series finale in Hollywood—not a plot twist that hits this hard. But ahead of Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, manager Craig Counsell delivered sobering news: star pitcher Justin Steele is done for the season.
Steele will undergo surgery to repair both the flexor tendon and UCL in his left elbow. Whether he’ll need a full Tommy John revision or a procedure with an internal brace remains uncertain, but the result is the same—Chicago’s 29-year-old ace won’t return to the mound until 2026.
“Days like this, your heart just goes out to Justin,” Counsell said somberly. “This is part of the reality for big-league pitchers—injuries that cost them whole seasons. But he’s handling it with the same positive attitude he always brings. He knows this is the path he chose, and he’s already focused on the comeback.”
It’s a crushing development for Steele, who initially landed on the injured list last Wednesday with what was thought to be tendonitis—the same elbow issue that sidelined him briefly last September.
At first, there was hope. Steele had just pitched a gem—seven shutout innings against the Texas Rangers—and attributed some postgame tightness to the brisk Chicago weather. But an MRI revealed more troubling news: the same area that flared up last fall was more seriously damaged than previously thought. A second medical opinion confirmed the worst.
In just four starts this season, Steele went 3-1 with a 4.76 ERA. But his track record over the last three years has been stellar: a 3.10 ERA across 78 starts from 2022 to 2024, including a breakout 2023 campaign where he went 16-5, posted a 3.06 ERA, and finished fifth in the NL Cy Young Award voting.
With Steele sidelined, the Cubs are turning to right-hander Colin Rea—who got the nod Sunday against the Dodgers—for now. Meanwhile, Javier Assad is set to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday and could be a candidate to slot into the rotation once he recovers from a left oblique strain.
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