The NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs have lost one of their top starting pitchers for the season. Left-hander Justin Steele will have surgery to repair the flexor tendon and UCL in his pitching elbow, manager Craig Counsell announced Sunday (via MLB.com). Steele experienced tightness following his last start and tests revealed the flexor tendon and UCL damage.
It’s unclear whether Steele will require full-blown Tommy John surgery or only the internal brace procedure, which can be used for certain partial UCL tears. Either way, Steele’s season is over. The internal brace would potentially allow him to return a few weeks into 2026. Tommy John surgery would sidelined him deeper into the summer.
Colin Rea will start in Steele’s place Sunday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Chicago’s rotation depth chart currently looks something like this:
- LHP Shota Imanaga
LHP Justin Steele(out for 2025 with flexor tendon/UCL surgery)- RHP Jameson Taillon
- LHP Matthew Boyd
RHP Javier Assad(out with oblique strain, will begin rehab assignment Tuesday)- RHP Ben Brown
- RHP Colin Rea
- LHP Jordan Wicks
Steele, 29, has been the Cubs’ most reliable starter the last few years. He threw 427 innings with a 3.10 ERA and the underlying numbers to match from 2022-24. In four starts this season, Steele allowed 12 runs in 22 2/3 innings. That includes a rough showing during the Tokyo Series, when the Dodgers tagged him for five runs in four innings.
The Cubs were said to be seeking additional rotation depth late in the offseason and spring training. With Steele done for the season, they will presumably ramp up those efforts leading up to the July 31 trade deadline. That said, lots of teams need pitching, and it is never easy to acquire quality starters during the summer.
At 10-7, the Cubs sit atop the NL Central in the early going. Their plus-41 run differential is easily the best in baseball. No other team is better than plus-24.
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