Justin Steele Making Progress, Still Hopes To Pitch For The Cubs This Year

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Justin Steele is still holding out hope to pitch this year. 

Steele has not yet pitched this season after undergoing elbow surgery early last year. The Cubs southpaw was expected to make his season debut sometime in late May/early June, but a setback in his build-up has pushed his timeline back. 

The former All-Star suffered a left flexor strain in late April that puts his 2026 campaign in jeopardy. President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said in June that Steele will not start any games for the Cubs this season. 

However, pitching out of the bullpen later in the year remains a possibility. Steele is doing all he can to contribute to this Cubs team down the stretch and is continuing to make significant progress from his left flexor strain. 

Steele is at Wrigley Field this weekend to continue his build up toward a return. The 31-year-old threw off flat ground before Friday’s series opener against the New York Yankees and threw roughly 80-85 pitches (according to Tony Andracki). 

The next step in Steele’s recovery is throwing some light mound work prior to Saturday’s contest. He will throw off flat ground first and will then throw 20 pitches off the mound as part of his build-up. 

There is still no clear timeline on when Steele could return to the team. He is still a ways away from returning and has multiple hurdles to clear before he will be a full-go. There is even a chance that the Cubs left-hander doesn’t throw any innings this year. 

But Steele has not given up hope on pitching at some point in 2026. He could be an option in the bullpen later in the year, and getting him back would be big for the North Siders. This is a pitcher who has been one of the most consistent left-handers in the league since the start of the 2022 season. 

Now, no one knows how Steele will look on the mound once he is ready to go. He hasn’t appeared in a game since April 7, 2025, which was 480 days ago. Some rust will obviously be there, given the long layoff. 

If the Cubs can get him ready to go by mid-September, though, that could give him enough time to shake off the rust and get him ready to go for the postseason. With Steele set to throw off the mound on Saturday, it remains a possibility that he can return later in the year.