Justin Steele’s Journey Back to the Cubs

Justin Steele’s Road to Recovery

Left-handed pitcher Justin Steele has been eager to return to the Chicago Cubs and marked the series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on his calendar. His comeback journey took an unexpected turn after undergoing elbow surgery in April 2025 when a flexor strain earlier this spring delayed his rehabilitation. This week, Steele is with the Cubs during their three-game series in Arizona as he progresses towards his return to Major League Baseball.

Steele shared that he felt positive following his first live batting practice after injury recovery last week. Since then, he has been consistently playing catch without any problems. This upcoming Tuesday and Friday, Steele will participate in live batting practice at the team’s facility in Mesa, possibly leading to a rehab assignment.

“It’s been a long road and feels really good to get towards the end of that tunnel,” Steele expressed. “You see how the team’s playing, you just want to get back and help.”

He is hopeful about contributing to the Cubs this season. Following his setback, Steele and his team decided that returning as a relief pitcher would be most practical, given the time constraints in stretching out to start effectively. Adjusting quickly to a bullpen role became the focus.

Steele aims to build up to pitching 2-3 innings, which will demand a substantial rehab period due to not reaching this stage before the injury setback four months ago. Manager Craig Counsell emphasized that Steele has a significant journey ahead before pitching at the major-league level.

“I think we need to get him pitching in (rehab) games first — I don’t want to skip steps here, we’re not going to skip steps,” Counsell stressed. “He rightfully should be at a place where that is what his head should be on, but we have a lot of steps to go before we get there. He hasn’t pitched in an affiliated game in almost two years, so let’s get him pitching in an affiliated game, and he’s going to have to pitch in multiple games before he’s ready.”

Postseason Possibilities

The Cubs are yet to confidently rely on Steele, 31, for late September and, ideally, the postseason. The potential addition of Steele, particularly in postseason games where the focus shifts to team efforts in securing outs, remains intriguing if his rehab performances demonstrate reliability in achieving big-league outs.

“It’s me probably pushing the envelope a little too much just trying to get back as fast as possible, trying to skip steps and stuff, but everything’s been going good this go around,” Steele mentioned. “Probably feel better this go around than I did the first time so it’s awesome. I haven’t pitched in a while, definitely going to have the adrenaline and stuff that I haven’t been able to feel in quite some time, so it’s going to be exciting.”

Cautious Steps Ahead

The Cubs are maintaining a cautious approach in Steele’s development process despite the potential role of a reliever. Meanwhile, right-handed pitcher Ben Brown, recovering from a neck stress reaction, is ahead of Steele in returning. Brown plans to join the Cubs in Chicago post-practice, potentially signaling the beginning of his rehab assignment.