Cubs starter Justin Steele's return delayed by elbow strain
SAN DIEGO — More than a year after Cubs pitcher Justin Steele underwent a second major surgery on his left elbow, new imaging performed Tuesday showed a flexor strain that will delay the 30-year-old left-hander’s comeback beyond the All-Star break, manager Craig Counsell said Tuesday.
The Cubs had projected this spring that Steele might be back in May or June, but after Steele went Tuesday to see Dr. Keith Meister, the surgeon who performed surgery on Steele last April 18, the flexor strain was detected.
Counsell said the plan is for Steele to undergo further imaging in a month “to make sure everything is fine.’’ But even if it is determined the flexor strain tendon is healed, it will require further rehabilitation before Steele is able to pitch again for the Cubs, nearly three seasons after his breakout year in 2023, when he went 16-5 with a 3.03 ERA.
The Cubs already have lost Cade Horton to a season-ending elbow injury after his promising debut last season, and now it is apparent that while the they remain hopeful Steele will return at some point this season, they have no assurance that will occur.
It is the latest in a tsunami-like wave of pitching injuries for the Cubs, who almost certainly will be in the market for more pitching help. According to an industry source, the Cubs made an offer for Lucas Giolito, but were outbid by the Padres, who signed him last week to a one-year deal with an option that will pay him $3 million this season, with some escalators built in. That contract was far below projections.
Steele had intended to see Meister for “kind of a final checkup,” Counsell said, but after throwing a bullpen last weekend in Arizona, reported discomfort.
“I think more than anything it’s frustrating for Justin,’’ Counsell said. “During the course of these rehabs, there are always good days and bad days that you navigate through. But just when you start getting back to where Justin was, and getting fairly close to getting back into competition . . . unfortunately we’ve hit another speed bump, and it’s going to take longer.’’
Steele underwent conventional Tommy John surgery on his ulnar collateral ligament in 2017, his third season in pro ball. Last year, he underwent an innovative procedure developed by Meister that incorporated a tendon graft reinforced with a UCL brace — a collagen-coated tape.
Not a steal
Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya still does not have a stolen base to his name in the major leagues. His advance to second base Saturday in L.A. after being hit by a pitch by the Dodgers’ Roki Sasaki was scored a wild pitch, rather than a stolen base. It still prompted Dodgers’ catcher Dalton Rushing to mutter, “Fat [expletive].”
For the record, Amaya this season ranks 37th among catchers in sprint speed (minimum 10 opportunities) at 25 feet per second, according to Baseball Savant.
He ranks 337th among all players. Pete Crow-Armstrong checks in as the fastest Cubs baserunner at 29.1 feet per second, just ahead of Matt Shaw (28.9). Amaya has never attempted a stolen base in the big leagues, but stole 16 bases in 19 minor-league attempts.
Notes
Alex Bregman, who fouled a ball off his foot Sunday, was given the day off after playing in the season’s first 29 games. Shaw played third. Shaw already has made starts at four positions this season — first base, second base, third base and center field — and entered as a defensive replacement in left field Monday night. Sunday was his first big-league start at second base.
• Counsell said left-handed reliever Riley Martin is expected to be out eight weeks with a strained flexor in his left forearm.