Chicago Cubs pitcher Justin Steele was off to a 3-1 start with a 4.76 ERA after his first four starts of the 2025 MLB season. (Photo by PHILIP FONG/AFP via Getty Images)
(PHILIP FONG via Getty Images)
Chicago Cubs pitcher Justin Steele needs surgery on his left elbow and will miss the rest of the 2025 season. Manager Craig Counsell shared the bad news with reporters at Dodger Stadium ahead of Sunday night’s matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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Whether or not Steele requires Tommy John surgery hasn’t yet been determined, but he will undergo a reconstructive procedure on his elbow to repair his flexor tendon and treat his UCL, according to reports. If Steele has an internal brace procedure performed, he could return sooner. Regardless, he won’t pitch again until 2026.
Steele, 29, left his start last Monday versus the Texas Rangers complaining of elbow tightness after 91 pitches. To that point, he’d thrown seven scoreless innings while allowing only three hits with eight strikeouts and two walks.
“I was just doing stuff between innings to try and keep it warm, moving around,” Steele told reporters, via the Associated Press. “I told the trainers the next day, I want to come in and do a lot of recovery stuff, red light, do everything I can to get the recovery process underway. … They just made the decision to go ahead and put me on the IL.”
On Wednesday, the left-hander was placed on the 15-day injured list with what the Cubs hoped was the same tendinitis that sidelined the pitcher for three weeks last September.
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Steele underwent an MRI exam on Thursday, the results of which compelled Steele to seek a second opinion. That was presumably to determine whether or not surgery was deemed necessary.
In his four starts this season, Steele compiled a 4.76 ERA and 3-1 record with 21 strikeouts and 21 hits allowed in 22 1/3 innings. Last year, he finished with a 3.06 ERA and averaged nine strikeouts per nine innings. Two seasons ago, Steele had a breakout campaign, collecting a 3.06 ERA and 16-5 record with 176 strikeouts in a career-high 173 1/3 innings.
Colin Rea will start on Sunday for the Cubs, taking what would have been Steele’s turn in the rotation. Ethan Roberts was recalled from Triple-A to fill the empty roster spot. In 21 appearances with Iowa, he’s compiled a 3.21 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings.
