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SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 01: Justin Steele #35 of the Chicago Cubs walks back to the dugout after he was taken out of the game against the Athletics in the bottom of the seventh inning at Sutter Health Park on April 01, 2025 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

The Chicago Cubs continue to burn through their pitching, and it appears they will be without a key arm for longer than anticipated.

Left-hander Justin Steele has suffered a setback in his recovery from elbow surgery last April, with the team diagnosing him with a flexor strain in his throwing arm, via The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney. The Cubs said Steele will be re-evaluated in one month.

Chicago was hoping the former Cy Young candidate could be back in the rotation in late May or early June, but that will likely not be the case after this latest update.

“It’s a setback,” Skipper Craig Counsell said on The Score, the team’s flagship radio station. “There’s no question about it.”

Tough News For Chicago Cubs, Justin Steele

GettyCHICAGO, ILLINOIS – AUGUST 22: Justin Steele #35 of the Chicago Cubs walks to the dugout during the fourth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Wrigley Field on August 22, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

Steele is no stranger to elbow injuries. When he was a prospect in the minors, he had Tommy John surgery. He last took the hill in the big leagues for the Cubs in early April of 2025.

Counsell understands the frustration Steele is going through, and the ball club is trying to support him the best they can.

“This is a place that’s hard because there’s not much you can say to make a person feel better in this situation,” Counsell said, via The Athletic. “The grind of a rehab, unfortunately, can do this to you. You don’t have a choice but to kind of take it in and try to go have a good day tomorrow. Today was obviously not a good day for Justin. But I think that’s the attitude he’s going to take. It’s your only choice, really, in this thing.”

This news comes at a horrible time for the Cubbies. Cade Horton, who is one of their better starters as well, just had season-ending surgery on his throwing elbow. Riley Martin, Hunter Harvey, Daniel Palencia, and Ethan Roberts are all on the IL as well, among others.

Having Steele return to the staff would’ve given Chicago an enormous boost. He made a minimum of 24 starts between 2022 and 2024, posting an ERA just above three. Steele has swing and miss stuff, and he’s a massive part of this rotation.

This setback just adds insult to injury for the Cubs, who barely have a healthy arm at the moment. Nevertheless, this ball club is staying afloat, sitting at 17-12. Their staff also has a 4.05 ERA, which ranks 13th in the MLB.

Shota Imanaga and Edward Cabrera have spearheaded the rotation, and they will need to continue to set the tone. Hopefully, Chicago gets some arms back throughout May. If they’re going to be a World Series contender later this year, having a plethora of pitching options will be absolutely vital.

Hopefully, Steele is in the mix again by the summer, and he can find some momentum at the top of this rotation.