The Chicago Cubs are off to a good start toward ending their four-year playoff drought.
The team has surged to a National League Central best 11-7 record behind a scorching debut for offseason trade addition Kyle Tucker. But their playoffs hopes took a hit on Sunday even as the team capped off a series win against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Manager Craig Counsell told reporters that 2023 All-Star pitcher Jusin Steele will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a flexor tendon in his pitching elbow.
“It was unclear whether Steele, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2017, will need another full ligament-replacement procedure or a Tommy John revision with an internal brace,” according to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. “The 29-year-old left-hander will be sidelined until 2026.”
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Steele was off to a rough beginning for the 2025 campaign, with a 4.76 ERA across four starts. He held a 3.07 ERA across 24 total starts in 2024 amid elbow problems that saw him visit the injured list. Though his five-year big-league career has been mired by injury, Counsell shared that Steele’s reaction to this latest injury news has been largely positive.
“But I talked to him this morning, and he has a great attitude about it, as he always does,” Counsell said. “He knows that it’s part of the career he’s chosen, and he’s going to take it a step at a time and do the best he can to come back even better.”
The Cubs will rely on ace Shota Imanaga in Steele’s absence, but now face a significant hole in the rotation. The team announced that long reliever Colin Rea will be the immediate replacement and that Javier Assad will be working his way through a Triple-A rehabilitation process to potentially fill in for Steele as well.
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