The Chicago Cubs have a 10-7 record. They sit atop the NL Central. They are heading into Sunday night baseball against the Dodgers. Unfortunately, the team suffered a huge blow today as Justin Steele appears to be lost for the season. Last night’s big win feels less significant. It’s hard when your team suffers a loss like this to such a quality starting pitcher.
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Justin Steele
Steele will undergo reconstructive elbow surgery and miss the remainder of the 2025 season, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. “It’s unclear if it’s a full Tommy John or primary repair. Regardless, his season is over,” Passan posted on X today. Steele had made four starts to kick off the 2025 season for the Cubs. He has a 3-1 record in 22.2 innings pitched. Steele has a 4.76 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. He missed a good amount of time at the beginning of last year. This was due to a hamstring injury he suffered in his opening start against the Rangers.
Summary
The Cubs have depth with Colin Rea, veteran Brad Keller, and Jordan Wicks to step in for Steele. However, expect the Cubs to be exploring all options to fill the void left by Steele. Right now, I expect the three previously mentioned to get a chance. They will fill the void left in the rotation. I would expect to hear a lot of buzz from the loyal Cubs fans. They will beg Jed Hoyer to call the Marlins and ask for Sandy Alcantara. This is if the Cubs plan to contend deep into October this year. It’s just awful news for Justin Steele. Now we wait to see what the surgery truly is. How long will the team be without the young lefty?
