I think most Cubs fans had this in the back of their mind after Friday's update and now the awful news has been confirmed. Left-handed starting pitcher Justin Steele will miss the rest of the 2025 season.
ESPN's Jeff Passan broke the horrible news on Sunday. Steele, who has dealt with elbow issues since 2023, will undergo surgery, costing him the rest of the year.
Chicago Cubs left-hander Justin Steele will undergo reconstructive elbow surgery and miss the remainder of the 2025 season. Unclear yet whether it's a full Tommy John or primary repair, but his season is over regardless. Awful news for the Cubs, who are off to a great start.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 13, 2025
Colin Rea is starting Sunday night against the Dodgers. The veteran righty is first up in filling in for Steele this season and you have to imagine there will be more arms coming up throughout the season.
Jordan Wicks will most certainly get some starts coming up, while top pitching prospect Cade Horton could be in line for his first MLB call up later in 2025. Another under-the-radar name who could be in play for MLB starts for the Cubs is 2022 ninth round pick Connor Noland.
The 25-year-old has a 1.69 ERA in 16 innings at Triple-A so far this year. In 2024, Noland recorded a 3.49 ERA in 134 innings during his time at Double-A and Triple-A.
(Previous Update)
There is still a scenario in which Justin Steele is only out for a couple weeks, comes back feeling great, finishes out the season and we look back and laugh about the mini freakout we had in April. However, the latest update following Steele's MRI results isn't exactly what fans were hoping to see.
ESPN's Jesse Rogers had already hinted at something not being right Friday morning, indicating Steele would miss more than the minimum 15-days on the injured list. On Friday night, news surfaced that Steele is seeking more opinions after looking into his left elbow tendinitis.
Cubs are getting a 2nd opinion on Justin Steele’s elbow, Craig Counsell said, adding that the fact that it’s a recurring injury played into the decision.
— Maddie Lee (@maddie_m_lee) April 12, 2025
“We want to make sure we know why it has happened again so Justin's got all the information and then we can go from there.”
This is now the third time since last July that Steele has experienced the same elbow issue. The lefty did miss a few weeks in September with the elbow tendinitis and then returned to make two starts, albeit shorter outings.
Here's Cubs manager Craig Counsell talking about Steele prior to Friday night's game against the Dodgers.
Craig Counsell provides an update on Justin Steele's injury.
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) April 12, 2025
Steele was placed on the 15-day IL with left elbow tendinitis. pic.twitter.com/jMGrHFZkZe
It's hard not to get worried when you see that a pitcher is getting a second opinion about his elbow. That screams Tommy John surgery, but for now I guess all Cubs fans can only hold their breath and hope for the best. Maybe the best-case scenario for Steele in 2025 still means he's sidelined for a while, but right now I'd take that over surgery.
We'll see what Steele and the Cubs find out from other doctors.
(Previous Update)
The Chicago Cubs may be in some trouble. We'll find out later today, but it sounds like the news on Justin Steele's elbow injury isn't good. The left-handed pitcher was placed on the 15-day injured list on Wednesday with left elbow tendinitis. Steele was scheduled for an MRI on Thursday and those results will ultimately determine the severity of the elbow injury.
Steele has dealt with arm issues in each of the last three seasons including this one. Cubs insider Jesse Rogers was ESPN 1000 Friday morning and although he didn't report anything concrete on Steele's status he also hinted at Steele missing much more time than first anticipated.
Jesse Rogers on ESPN 1000 today says his sense is that, after the Justin Steele imaging, the news today might be not good. He wasn't reporting anything for sure, but doesn't have a feeling that it'll be a minimum stay on the IL.
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) April 11, 2025
Steele missed two weeks last September with the same issue in his elbow. The lefty returned, but was limited to a pair of short starts to end the 2024 season.
The Cubs began the 2025 regular season with Ben Brown as the No. 5 starter after Javier Assad suffered an oblique injury early in spring training. Now, if Steele does miss an extended period of time the Cubs will have to rely on their depth, which includes veteran Colin Rea getting the first call to fill in for Steele.
