Cubs Justin – Imaging found a flexor strain for Cubs pitcher Justin Steele, pushing his comeback past the All-Star break and adding to a growing rotation injury list.
SAN DIEGO — The Cubs expected Justin Steele to move closer to returning to the mound, but new imaging has added another layer to his recovery. Manager Craig Counsell said Tuesday that a flexor strain in Steele’s left arm will delay his comeback beyond the All-Star break.
Steele, 30, went to see Dr.. Keith Meister. the surgeon who performed surgery on his left elbow last April 18. after reporting discomfort following a bullpen session in Arizona.. The results detected the strain. which means the team’s earlier timeline—hopeful for a return in May or June—now has to stretch further.. Counsell said the plan is for another round of imaging in about a month to confirm whether the tendon has healed.
That timeline matters because Steele’s recovery has already lasted long enough to reshape how the Cubs think about pitching depth.. Coming off an injury history that includes two major elbow procedures—conventional Tommy John surgery on the ulnar collateral ligament in 2017 and a more recent technique involving a tendon graft reinforced with a brace—Steele’s comeback has been framed as a return to a pitcher who broke out in 2023.. That season. he went 16-5 with a 3.03 ERA. a performance that made his presence in the rotation feel like a foundation rather than an uncertain possibility.
But even if the flexor strain tendon is determined to be healed, Counsell emphasized that pitching won’t follow automatically.. Recovery from an elbow-area issue is rarely a straight line. and the Cubs appear to be bracing for the typical grind of rehab and ramp-up work before competition returns.. “During the course of these rehabs. there are always good days and bad days. ” Counsell said. describing the frustration that comes when progress seems to restart—only for the body to force another pause.
The immediate practical impact is obvious: Steele is not available in the near term. and the Cubs cannot plan rotation workloads as if he will be back on schedule.. The team has already lost Cade Horton to a season-ending elbow injury. and Steele’s setback adds another question mark to a pitching group that has been hit repeatedly.. For a club trying to build momentum. it’s not just the absence of one arm—it’s the ripple effect on bullpen usage. innings distribution. and the number of times pitchers must be pushed closer to their limits.
There is also a roster-level reality that fans can feel even without medical details.. When rotation time shrinks. teams lean on younger starters. swingmen. and emergency options. and those decisions can influence performance for weeks at a time.. The Cubs’ situation suggests they likely will need outside pitching help. particularly if imaging timelines keep slipping toward the later part of the season.
In the team’s broader offseason and early-season planning, the market for starting pitching remains tightly connected to health.. If a key starter such as Steele cannot return when expected. the organization has to decide whether to gamble on internal replacement options or pivot more aggressively toward acquiring experienced arms.. That calculus becomes even sharper when the injury wave is already disrupting multiple plans.
The strain also sheds light on a less visible side of baseball: recoveries don’t end at the first diagnosis.. Rehab often includes repeated tests, gradual throwing progressions, and careful monitoring of how tendons respond under stress.. When the issue is a flexor strain in the forearm area. the path back can require more than simply “waiting it out.” The mechanics of pitching place demands not just on the elbow but on the entire kinetic chain. meaning forearm health can influence everything from the earliest phase of throwing to late-game fatigue.
Cubs fans are already tracking another speed-related storyline involving catcher Miguel Amaya.. Amaya still has no stolen base in the majors. even after an advance to second on Saturday in Los Angeles was ruled a wild pitch rather than a steal.. The Cubs’ system can take a long view with baserunners. but for managers. the day-to-day picture includes both medical constraints and the small strategic decisions that add up.
Elsewhere on the injury front. Counsell said left-handed reliever Riley Martin is expected to miss eight weeks with a strained flexor in his left forearm.. Taken together with Steele’s diagnosis. it reinforces a theme the Cubs can’t ignore: when flexor issues appear across multiple pitchers. it changes how the organization manages workload and recovery.. For now. the next key date isn’t another bullpen—it’s the follow-up imaging in a month. which will determine whether the tendon has truly healed and what kind of rehab timeline comes next.