Chicago Cubs Catastrophe: Justin Steele Suffers Setback

Hey, how are you? Welcome to another day in hell for the Chicago Cubs. As if things on the pitching front weren’t already bad, Rick Sutcliffe delivered another gut punch to fans on Tuesday, when he revealed on the Waddle & Silvy Show on ESPN 1000 that Justin Steele suffered a setback in his recovery from elbow surgery.

Sutcliffe didn’t confirm the awful news, leaving room for doubt. The Cubs broadcaster and former player said he had heard that Steele had a setback but wasn’t able to get in contact with the left-hander, which raised further concerns for Sutcliffe. However, less than an hour later, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers got in contact with his sources and the update was true.

Steele, who had season-ending surgery last April, was cleared to resume full activity in spring training. At the time, he was targeting a late May to early June return to the Cubs’ starting rotation. Now, it is unclear when Steele will be able to come back in 2026 as the team has temporarily shut him down according to Rogers.

As mentioned on ESPN 1000 a few minutes ago, Cubs pitcher Justin Steele has had a setback, per sources. He's shutdown for the time being. Steele was recovering from elbow surgery and is eligble to come off the IL around Memorial Day. That could be in jeopardy.

— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) April 28, 2026

On the surface, you can maybe dismiss this as being a truly awful setback. Yes, Steele was eligible to return on May 25, after he was moved to the 60-day injured list. However, he did leave some buffer room in his own estimated recovery time. Remember, Steele said late May or early June, so it’s not like he guaranteed he would be back as soon as he was eligible to be activated from the 60-day injured list.

Yet, it’s still not a good thing that he had a setback, even if it is minor. Right now, we’re not aware of the severity. It could be as simple as arm fatigue, or he might actually be feeling pain in his elbow.

Regardless, the timing of this update makes the Cubs look bad after they reportedly weren’t willing to outbid the San Diego Padres for free agent starting pitcher Lucas Giolito. The Cubs were one of the teams trying to sign Giolito, but he ultimately agreed to a one-year, $3 million contract with the Padres that includes an option for the 2027 season.

The Cubs have already lost Cade Horton for the rest of this season after the young right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery. Matthew Boyd also missed a couple of weeks because of a biceps issue. This Steele setback certainly can’t make the team feel any better.

So far in 2026, the Cubs have had 30+ pitchers on the injured list from the minor leagues up through the active MLB roster. As many as 11 pitchers on the 40-man roster have missed time because of injuries.

UPDATE

Yeah, it’s kind of a bigger setback than just a sore arm. Cubs manager Craig Counsell was on 670 The Score later on Tuesday, and he provided a little more insight. Steele will be re-evaluated in a month.

On with @SpiegsAndHolmes, Craig Counsell said Justin Steele suffered a flexor strain in his recovery and will be re-evaluated in a month: "It's a setback, there's no question about it, and it's going to lengthen his return to play."

— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) April 28, 2026

Related, left-handed reliever Riley Martin was recently placed on the injured list, and he was diagnosed with a flexor strain as well. The Cubs have ruled Martin out for eight weeks.

This fucking blows.