LOS ANGELES -- Justin Steele called Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy on Saturday to let him know that the pitcher was going to undergo season-ending surgery. Hottovy said their conversation centered around the positives -- Steele would have some answers, and his work ethic and skill should create a solid foundation for his comeback.
On Sunday, the news was official: Steele is set for surgery on Friday to repair the flexor tendon and address the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow. It is a big blow for Chicago¡¯s rotation in a season during which making the playoffs is the top priority. For now, Hottovy¡¯s focus was on Steele.
¡°You feel for Justin, just the competitor he is. He wants to be out there,¡± Hottovy said before the Cubs' 4-2 victory over the Dodgers on Sunday Night Baseball. ¡°He wanted me to know from him and talk through it a little bit, and kind of talk through what options he had and what plans he had. That's the kind of guy he is. He wants to respect the work we¡¯ve all put in together. We¡¯ve known each other for a long time now.¡±
The more Hottovy spoke, the more he struggled to hold back tears.
¡°You get invested,¡± said the pitching coach.
The 29-year-old Steele -- a fifth-round pick by the Cubs in the 2014 MLB Draft, making him the longest-tenured player in the organization -- will have the surgery performed by Dr. Keith Meister. Cubs manager Craig Counsell said the specific nature of the procedure will be determined at that time (it is not clear yet whether Tommy John surgery is required, for example).
What the Cubs do know is that the elbow tendinitis that impacted Steele late last season and then flared in his start against the Rangers on Monday, was at risk of being a persistent problem. An MRI exam on Steele¡¯s elbow on Thursday was concerning enough to warrant a second opinion, leading Steele to his decision to undergo surgery.
Counsell said the timetable for Steele¡¯s return will be more clear post-operation.
¡°It¡¯s kind of the life of a Major League pitcher,¡± Counsell said on Sunday. ¡°I talked to him this morning again, and he¡¯s got a great attitude about it, as he always does, and knows that it¡¯s kind of part of the career that he¡¯s chosen. He¡¯ll take it a step at a time and do the best he can to come back even better.¡±
Steele logged seven shutout innings against Texas in frigid conditions (34 degrees at first pitch) and indicated he felt some discomfort around the fifth. He was not alarmed enough to stop pitching, but that wound up being his final turn of ¡¯25. In four outings, Steele posted a 4.76 ERA with 21 strikeouts and five walks in 22 2/3 innings.
Across the 2022-24 seasons, Steele logged a 3.10 ERA. He broke out as an All-Star and Cy Young Award contender in ¡¯23.
With Steele on the shelf, the Cubs will lean on their front four of Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd and Ben Brown. The Cubs have a 12-day period coming up (Thursday through April 28) with four team off-days, but Counsell said the team needs to be careful to give that group appropriate rest, too.
Righty Colin Rea, who was in the bullpen up to this point, got the start on Sunday against the Dodgers and will remain Chicago¡¯s fifth starter for the time being. Chicago signed the 34-year-old Rea to a one-year, $5 million free-agent deal over the offseason to give them an experienced piece behind the main starting group.
¡°That¡¯s why you get a guy like Colin Rea,¡± Hottovy said. ¡°I think Colin¡¯s proven to be able to pitch some big innings in this league, and having a veteran guy like him to kind of step in right away and fill some of that void is huge.¡±
Righty Javier Assad (15-day injured list due to a left oblique setback during the spring) is on the horizon. He has at least two upcoming Minor League rehab starts with Triple-A Iowa (Tuesday and April 20) before being reassessed. Lefty Jordan Wicks is also with the I-Cubs and is an option on the 40-man roster.
The Cubs also have highly touted pitching prospect Cade Horton -- ranked by MLB Pipeline as the club¡¯s No. 2 prospect and No. 48 on the Top 100 -- at Triple-A, but he is coming off an injury-shortened 2024 campaign. Counsell said the focus for Horton is to keep logging consistent innings to put himself on the MLB radar for later this summer.
¡°You don¡¯t replace people like Justin Steele,¡± Counsell said. ¡°The next guy has to step up, but it¡¯s very difficult to replace that level of play. You hope you have some options to do so, and we think we do.¡±