Fantasy News

• Cubs' Justin Steele: Set for bullpen session

  Rotowire Apr 13, 2024

  Steele (hamstring) will throw a 25-pitch bullpen session Saturday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Steele will get back on the bump for the first time since he suffered a Grade 1 left hamstring strain on Opening Day. The Cubs anticipate Steele missing the rest of April, but he seems to be tracking toward a return from the 15-day injured list in early May.

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• Cubs' Justin Steele: Officially placed on IL

  Rotowire Mar 30, 2024

  The Cubs placed Steele on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a left hamstring strain, retroactive to March 29, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Steele had to leave Thursday's season opener after injuring his hamstring while fielding a bunt attempt. He will be eligible to return from the IL on April 13, but it remains unclear whether or not Steele will need to spend more than the 15-day minimum on the shelf. Ben Brown will come up from Triple-A Iowa in a corresponding move and could fill the void in the Cubs' rotation.

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• Cubs' Justin Steele: Headed for IL

  Rotowire Mar 28, 2024

  Steele was diagnosed with a left hamstring strain Thursday and will be placed on the injured list, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports. Steele suffered the injury in Thursday's season opener against the Rangers as he attempted to field a bunt. Manager Craig Counsell didn't commit to a minimum 15-day stint for Steele, but a clearer timeline should emerge after he undergoes an MRI on Friday. With Jameson Taillon (back) also sidelined, the Cubs rotation is shorthanded. Drew Smyly is a candidate to shift from a relief to starting role as a result.

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• Cubs' Justin Steele: Removed due to tightness

  Rotowire Mar 28, 2024

  Steele was removed from Thursday's game against the Rangers due to tightness in his left hamstring, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Steele was attempting to field a bunt in the fifth inning when he fell to the ground before being removed. It sounds as if he avoided serious injury, though it remains unclear if he'll be ready to take the mound for his next turn through the rotation.

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• Cubs' Justin Steele: Suffers apparent hamstring injury

  Rotowire Mar 28, 2024

  Steele exited Thursday's game against the Rangers with an apparent injury to his left hamstring, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports. Steele moved quickly off the mound to field a bunt and suffered the injury in the process. He pitched very well prior to his exit, allowing only three hits and one earned run to go along with a walk and six strikeouts across 4.2 innings. The extent of the issue isn't currently clear.

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• Cubs' Justin Steele: In clear for Opening Day

  Rotowire Mar 25, 2024

  Steele (knee) declared himself ready to start Thursday's season opener versus the Rangers in Arlington after he threw a bullpen session Monday without incident, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports. Even though he left early in his final Cactus League start Friday against the Giants due to a left knee contusion, Steele never appeared to be in legitimate danger of missing out on the Opening Day assignment. Before hurting his knee Friday, Steele had built up to 64 pitches and four innings in his prior Cactus League start March 12, so he should be capable of giving the Cubs at least 75 pitches and five innings in Thursday's opener. The 28-year-old lefty is coming off a breakout 2023 campaign in which he went 16-5 with a 3.06 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 176:36 K:BB over 173.1 innings en route to a fifth-place finish in the National League Cy Young Award balloting.

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• Cubs' Justin Steele: Not starting Sunday

  Rotowire Oct 1, 2023

  Steele won't start Sunday against the Brewers after the Cubs were eliminated from playoff contention Saturday, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports. The Cubs stumbled down the stretch and are no longer in postseason contention, so they won't send out their ace for the final game of the season. Steele struggled over his final three outings with 15 runs allowed, but he was in the thick of the race for the NL Cy Young Award for most of the campaign and will finish his third year in MLB with a 3.06 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 176:36 K:BB over 173.1 innings.

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• Cubs' Justin Steele: Rare misstep in loss

  Rotowire Sep 16, 2023

  Steele (16-4) allowed six runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out five over six innings to take the loss Friday versus the Diamondbacks. The six runs allowed matched Steele's season high, as well as the total of runs he gave up over his last 33 innings across five starts. The loss was his first since July 16, and it was just the third time all year he's allowed multiple home runs. Steele has a 2.73 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 164:35 K:BB through 165 innings over 28 starts. He's lined up for a favorable home start versus the Pirates next week.

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• Cubs' Justin Steele: Looks sharp in no-decision

  Rotowire Sep 10, 2023

  Steele allowed just one run on six hits across seven innings but did not factor into the decision Saturday against the Diamondbacks. He had no walks and struck out six. Steele dazzled, but the Cubs managed just one run while he was in there and only two for the whole game as they fell in 10 innings. The lefty was excellent nonetheless, and over his last five starts he has a 1.36 ERA with 39 strikeouts across 33 innings. For the season, Steele has a stellar 2.49 ERA, and he's firmly in the NL Cy Young race. He'll look to keep rolling and pick up his 17th win in his next scheduled start, which is penciled in for Friday against these same Diamondbacks.

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• Cubs' Justin Steele: Dazzles in 16th win

  Rotowire Sep 4, 2023

  Steele (16-3) earned the win Monday against the Giants, striking out 12 over eight shutout innings. He scattered two hits and two walks. Steele shined in front of the holiday crowd at Wrigley Field, notching a career-high 12 punchouts. The one-time All-Star now has seven wins in his last nine starts, dating back to July 21. He has produced a 2.64 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 54.2 innings over that span.

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• Cubs' Justin Steele: Allows two in no-decision

  Rotowire Aug 24, 2023

  Steele did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks over six innings against the Pirates. He struck out six. Steele hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in a start since May 26. Though he came away with a no-decision Thursday, the 28-year-old southpaw has logged quality starts in nine of his last 11 outings. Steele is 14-3 on the season with a 1.17 WHIP and 133:30 K:BB across 24 starts (138 innings). He's currently lined up for a home matchup with the Brewers in his next outing early next week.

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• Cubs' Justin Steele: Strikes out seven for 14th win

  Rotowire Aug 19, 2023

  Steele (14-3) earned the win Saturday, allowing two runs on six hits over six innings against the Royals. He struck out seven. Steele found himself in some trouble after giving up back-to-back hits to open the second inning but managed to retire the next three batters as the Royals got one run across. The right-hander surrendered only three more hits from that point on while striking out seven batters for the third start in a row. Steele has now won his last five decisions (spanning six starts) and eight of his last nine. He has not allowed more than three earned runs since May 26 and his 14 wins have him tied with Spencer Strider for the major-league lead.

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• Cubs' Justin Steele: Strikes out seven in no-decision

  Rotowire Aug 13, 2023

  Steele did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing three runs on six hits over five innings against the Blue Jays while striking out seven. Steele didn't have his best stuff Saturday, allowing at least one hit in four of his five innings of work and serving up a two-run homer to Whit Merrifield. The lefty had won each of his last four decisions coming in and has now allowed three runs in three straight outings to open the month of August. On a positive note, Steele did not issue a walk Saturday for the second time in his last three starts, and he's put together a solid 20:4 K:BB over that stretch.

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• Cubs' Justin Steele: Escapes with 13th win

  Rotowire Aug 6, 2023

  Steele (13-3) allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits and four walks while striking out seven over 5.1 innings to earn the win over Atlanta on Sunday. Steele has allowed no fewer than seven baserunners in each of his last four starts, but he's emerged with a win in each of them. His four walks Sunday matched his season high. While he's been shaky of late, the left-hander is still at a solid 2.75 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP and 113:28 K:BB through 121 innings over 21 starts this season. He's projected for a road outing in Toronto his next time out.

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• Cubs' Justin Steele: Picks up 11th win

  Rotowire Jul 28, 2023

  Steele (11-3) earned the win Thursday, allowing a run on five hits and three walks over six innings in a 10-3 win over St. Louis. He struck out four. Steele is now 5-1 over his last seven starts, with a 3.24 ERA in that span. The 28-year-old southpaw allowed just one run Thursday on an Andrew Knizner homer in the fifth inning. Steele's ERA is now down to 2.87 on the season with a 1.12 WHIP and 100:24 K:BB across 19 starts (109.2 innings). He currently lines up for a home matchup with the Reds in his next outing.

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• Cubs' Justin Steele: Season-high nine strikeouts

  Rotowire Jul 21, 2023

  Steele (10-3) earned the win Friday, allowing two runs on six hits and one walk over 6.1 innings in a 4-3 victory over the Cardinals. He struck out nine. Steele bounced back with a season-high nine strikeouts and submitted his 12th quality start of the year Friday after giving up a season-high six runs to Boston last time out. The left-hander's command has really stood out in 2023, as he's walked one or fewer batters in 14 of his 18 starts and holds a 96:21 K:BB through 103.2 innings. Steele will look to make it back-to-back wins during his next start, which is tentatively scheduled for a rematch against the Cardinals in St. Louis.

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• Cubs' Justin Steele: Gets hit hard in loss

  Rotowire Jul 16, 2023

  Steele (9-3) allowed six runs on 10 hits across six innings to take the loss Sunday against the Red Sox. He had one walk and six strikeouts. The primary damage came from two Boston home runs, including a Masataka Yoshida grand slam in the fifth inning. Steele has now allowed nine earned runs in his last two starts after allowing just three total runs in his previous four starts. The lefty is up to 97.1 innings this season following a career-high 119 innings last year. It's possible that fatigue becomes a factor for Steele, so the Cubs may decide to skip his turn in the rotation at some point or otherwise limit his workload. He's currently slated to start again Friday against the Cardinals.

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• Cubs' Justin Steele: Stumbles in sixth inning

  Rotowire Jul 6, 2023

  Steele allowed three runs on nine hits and no walks while striking out five batters over six innings in a no-decision against Milwaukee on Wednesday. Steele was excellent through five innings, giving up just one run on five hits. However, he served up a leadoff homer to Willy Adames in the sixth, then allowed one more run on three additional hits over the remainder of the frame. Steele was able to finish the sixth to notch the quality start, and a late Chicago comeback ensured that he didn't take the loss. This was just the fourth time in 16 starts this season that the southpaw allowed three or more earned runs, which is a testament to how solid he's been overall. Steele ranks sixth among qualified MLB pitchers with a 2.56 ERA and is tied for ninth with 11 quality starts.

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• Cubs' Justin Steele: Six strikeouts in scoreless outing

  Rotowire Jul 1, 2023

  Steele (9-2) earned the win Friday, allowing three hits and one walk over 6.1 scoreless innings against Cleveland. He struck out six. Steele plunked the first batter he faced and followed that up by committing a throwing error while trying to start a routine double play, bringing Jose Ramirez to the plate with runners on first and second and no outs. However, the left-hander proceeded to retire the next three batters, including strikeouts of Ramirez and Josh Bell, to escape the first and then went on cruise control. The left-hander's scoreless outing lowered his ERA to 2.43, which is the best mark in the National League, and he sports a solid 76:19 K:BB across 85.1 innings. Steele has emerged as a workhorse at the top of Chicago's rotation this year, and his next start is lined up for a divisional matchup in Milwaukee.

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• Cubs' Justin Steele: Cruises to eighth win in London

  Rotowire Jun 24, 2023

  Steele (8-2) allowed one run on five hits across six innings to earn the win Saturday against the Cardinals. He walked one and struck out eight. The Cubs jumped out to a 7-0 lead in London and that was more than enough for Steele, who picked up his second straight win since returning from the injured list due to a forearm strain. The lefty is building on last season's breakout campaign, as he now has a stellar 2.62 ERA and 1.06 WHIP across 79 innings this season. Steele will look to keep rolling in his next outing toward the end of next week once the team returns from across the pond.

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