On Sunday, Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell unveiled the worst-case scenario for Cubs fans: Pitcher Justin Steele will be missing the rest of the season due to elbow surgery.
Just as he was getting going
Steele pitched his best game of the season last Monday against the Rangers. After a rough first few starts, Steele rebounded to toss seven innings of shutout ball. He also allowed just three hits, on two walks. But during the game, Steele felt elbow discomfort and notified trainers after the game.
After initially being placed on the 15-day Injured List, Steele and the Cubs looked for a second opinion on his elbow. Supposedly, after getting that opinion, they decided an ending surgery was the best option.
While it’s unclear if the exact procedure will be Tommy John surgery, the effect on this season is the same. The Cubs will be without their ace starter for at minimum the remainder of the 2025 season.
Steele previously had Tommy John surgery back in 2017, when he was still years away from reaching the Major Leagues.
After getting off to a fantastic start, the Cubs now must salvage their already-thin rotation with the fifth-year veteran done for the season. Shota Imanaga now becomes the unquestioned Ace of the Cubs rotation for the time being.
Where do the Cubs go from here?
The question now becomes how the Cubs will reshuffle the rotation with Steele’s absence. Many are speculating that the Cubs will attempt to make a trade to, at the very least, solidify their depth.
The most exciting possibility for Cubs fans would be to trade for Marlins fireballer Sandy Alcantara. The Cubs are now much more incentivized to get this deal done and replace one ace with another. The Marlins would likely love to get a deal done with Chicago, given their loaded farm system stocked with young talent.
The Cubs will certainly be calling teams like the Marlins, Twins, and Mariners to try to pry away some of their pitching talents. Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer will need to act swiftly to minimize the damage.
Another intriguing option is to recall top pitching prospect Cade Horton. While Horton had an injury-plagued ‘24 season, his upside is sensational. Ideally, he would certainly spend more time developing in the minor leagues, but desperate times may call for desperate measures. Other prospects, such as Brandon Birdsdell, Jack Neely, and Brody McCullough, could also be in play for Chicago.
Relying on in-house replacements
In the meantime, the Cubs will rely on Ben Brown, Colin Rea, and even potentially Brad Keller to solidify the bottom of the rotation. With additional reinforcements, Javier Assad and Jordan Wicks hopefully returning soon, it will be interesting to see how this staff bounces back from losing their captain. Counsell will have some tough decisions to make to keep the Cubs in contention this season. The Cubs currently sit at 10-7 and first place in the National League Central division.
Steele will hope to make a full recovery and be back in time for the 2026 opening day.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Cubs provide devastating update on Justin Steele appeared first on Heavy Sports.