All-Star lefty Justin Steele finally returned to the mound on Wednesday, signaling a potential late-season bullpen boost for the Chicago Cubs.
Chicago Cubs pitcher Justin Steele pitched in his first game in close to 17 months on Wednesday.
Steele pitched in his first rehab assignment game with the Iowa Cubs, marking a big step forward for the left-hander. He missed most of the 2025 season due to an internal brace procedure on his elbow and then missed the last few months of this season with a flexor strain that he suffered as part of his buildup back to the mound.
But the southpaw now appears close to 100%.
Steele started off his rehab outing by striking out Guardians prospect Cooper Ingle on a beautifully placed sinker on the outside part of the zone. He got into a 2-2 count against Ingle before catching him looking at a called third strike.
The first inning was really clean for Steele. He struck out Ingle, got Milan Tolentino to fly out, allowed a single to Kyle Manzardo, and then induced another flyout to end the bottom of the first inning with no damage done.
Unfortunately, the second inning wasn’t as clean for the left-hander. He got the first two batters out in the inning, which included throwing a perfect four-seam fastball on the outside corner of the strike zone for his second strikeout of the outing.
Things then really unraveled for him. He allowed a single, a double, another base runner to reach on an error, and another single before departing with two outs in the bottom of the second inning.
Steele ended his outing by allowing four hits, three runs (one earned run) with two strikeouts across 1 ⅔ innings. He threw 26-of-36 pitches for strikes and even topped out at 92 mph on his four-seam fastball.
It was expected to see Steele have some rust in his first start in a game-like setting since April 7, 2025. However, seeing him back on the mound is a great sign for the Cubs. After many months of recovery, all signs point to the former All-Star helping out this team down the stretch.
Even though Steele did start for the Iowa Cubs on Wednesday, his role with the Major League club will not be as a starter. The expectation is that he will contribute in the bullpen and boost that pitching group.
Any type of contribution the Cubs can get from Steele this year will be a major win. There were question marks about whether he would be able to pitch this season following his setback in late April, but it’s becoming a stronger possibility now.
Steele will likely need a few rehab outings before the Cubs even think about calling him up. However, a mid-to-late September return remains in the cards.
