Cubs lefty Justin Steele still months from return, despite progess in rehab

MESA, Ariz. — Justin Steele’s giddiness after being cleared to expand his repertoire of pitches and increase the intensity of his rehabilitation overshadowed a long-range goal the Cubs know too well.

“I would still be sticking to the same timeline that we kind of been saying, May-June,” Steele said Sunday, nearly 10 months since undergoing surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament and flexor tendon tear in his left arm.

“And all of this is with the thought in mind that the outings in October and November are going to be the ones that matter the most. So I would say, keep that in mind as we're talking and thinking about this.”

Steele’s injury was the first of several injuries that eventually caught up to the Cubs and cost them a chance at advancing to the National League Championship Series.

Fellow left-hander Shota Imanaga faded late, and rookie sensation Cade Horton suffered a right rib fracture shortly before the end of the regular season.

The Cubs settled for Mike Soroka instead of ponying up for Shane Bieber at the trade deadline, and Soroka went on the injured list and missed six weeks because of a shoulder strain while Bieber posted a 4-2 record after his trade from the Guardians to the Blue Jays, who won Game 4 of the World Series with Bieber limited the World Champion Dodgers to four hits in 5 1/3 innings.

The Cubs fortified their rotation this winter with the acquisition of Edward Cabrera that cost them top outfield prospect Owen Caissie, and the anticipated return of Steele — who posted a 3.10 ERA in 78 starts from 2022-24 — could bring more than the equivalent of a mid-season trade.

Manager Craig Counsell remains cautiously optimistic about Steele’s progress and his long-range view.

“We’re on the same page, and we’ll keep communicating,” Counsell said. “As you’re going through (rehab), you never want to slow down. You want to earn very step and make progress. And I think that’s a very important part.

“Let me throw some other things in the equation. We got to kind of balance that all out, but I think we'll come up with something good, and I think the timing of this is going to be really good.”

After receiving clearance from Dr. Keith Meister (as part of his Arizona visit to check on the progress of his patients), Steele will be allowed to incorporate breaking pitches into his pitch mix as he increases the intensity of his rehab from 35-40 pitches to eventually facing batters.

The Cubs are stretching out Colin Rea and Javier Asaad to serve as insurance in the event projected starters Jameson Tallion, Matthew Boyd, Imanaga, Cabrera and Horton aren’t available by the end of March.

Rea made 27 starts last season, and Asaad could start a game for Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic.

Counsell anticipates Rea will start “a lot of games this year,” and his ability to shift between the rotation and bullpen is “what makes seasons and make the stability of that is what makes seasons go well and go smoothly and helps those around you.”

Steele, meanwhile, is eager to celebrate any milestone such as getting clearance from Meister while feeling no urge to rush with rotation depth he described as “amazing.”

“It's really important that I'm hitting my stride at that point. That's when it’s going to help the team the most.”