Cubs' Justin Steele: Six scoreless in season debut
Rotowire
Steele struck out eight batters in six scoreless innings Saturday against the Brewers, walking one and allowing three hits. He did not factor in to the decision.
Steele impressed last season to the tune of a 3.18 ERA in 24 starts, and his first outing of 2023 indicates there's more where that came from. Saturday's outing stands as one of the best of his young career, as only once last season did he throw six shutout innings (incidentally also against the Brewers). It wasn't enough to secure the victory, however, as the Brewers would go on to take a 3-1 lead in the eighth inning. Steele will look to have another strong start next week against the Rangers.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Making 2023 debut Saturday
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Steele is listed as the starting pitcher for Saturday's contest against the Brewers.
It seemed like offseason acquisition Jameson Taillon would be the team's No. 2 pitcher behind Marcus Stroman to begin the year, but it will be Steele pitching the second game with Taillon set to debut Sunday. This allows the Cubs to go righty-lefty-righty with the top of their rotation. Steele had a strong 2022 with a 3.18 ERA and 126 strikeouts across 119 innings, which he'll look to build upon in 2023.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Struggles with control Monday
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Steele allowed one run on four hits across three innings in Monday's Cactus League game against the Padres. He walked five and struck out three.
Steele is somewhat lucky he only allowed one run after letting nine players reach base in his three innings of work. The lefty had a nice 2022 campaign with a 3.18 ERA and 126 strikeouts across 119 innings, though control remains a bit of an issue. Steele posted a 4.3 BB/9 in 2021 and was only marginally better last year with a 3.8 BB/9. If the 27-year-old can improve in that area this season, he could be primed for another step forward.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Sharp in spring debut
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Steele (arm) tossed two scoreless innings in Friday's Cactus League game against the Angels. He allowed no hits or walks and did not record a strikeout.
Steele was scratched from an earlier spring start due to arm fatigue, but he looked good in his Cactus League debut. While the lefty didn't have any strikeouts, he recorded 126 of them across 119 innings last season, so he should start to pick up more strikeouts as he gets rolling. Steele will be looking to build on his 2022 breakout as Chicago's No. 3 starter this year behind Marcus Stroman and Jameson Taillon.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Set for Cactus debut Friday
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Steele (arm) is scheduled to make his Cactus League debut Friday against the Padres, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Steele got the go-ahead after throwing another successful bullpen session Tuesday in Cubs camp. The 27-year-old left-hander came down with a bit of arm soreness last week, but all is well now as he readies himself for a spot in Chicago's season-opening starting rotation. He posted an impressive 3.18 ERA with 126 strikeouts over 119 innings in 2022.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Nearing spring debut
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Steele (arm) is expected to make his Cactus League debut sometime this weekend, Tony Andracki of the Marquee Sports Network reports.
Steele was scratched from a scheduled Cactus League start this past Sunday due to arm soreness, but he made it through a bullpen session without issue Tuesday in Cubs camp. As long as everything goes more smoothly from this point forward, the 27-year-old left-hander should be ready to open the 2023 campaign as a mid-rotation starter on the North Side of Chicago.
Steele (arm) said he's scheduled to throw a bullpen session Tuesday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
The Cubs scratched Steele from his planned Cactus League debut this past Saturday against the Giants, citing general arm fatigue. Fortunately for Steele, the issue doesn't appear to be anything more significant, as he'll likely get the green light to make his first spring start later this week if the bullpen session goes according to plan. The southpaw already says that he feels like he can cover 2-to-3 innings, despite missing his first turn through the spring rotation.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Scratched with arm fatigue
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Steele was scratched from Sunday's spring start against the Dodgers due to general arm fatigue, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
The left-hander hasn't been shut down from throwing and is scheduled for a bullpen session within the next couple days, but it's still a concerning development early in spring training. If Steele's bullpen goes well, he could take the mound in Chicago's next turn through the rotation.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: May be No. 3 starter
Rotowire
Steele could slot in as the Cubs' No. 3 starter to begin the regular season, Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic report.
With Kyle Hendricks (shoulder) expected to begin the year on the injured list, Chicago's rotation is somewhat thinned out. Marcus Stroman should lead the way, followed by the newly signed Jameson Taillon. After that, it's fairly wide open, with Steele, Drew Smyly, Adrian Sampson and Hayden Wesneski likely battling for three spots. Steele posted a solid 3.18 ERA and 126 strikeouts across 119 innings last year, so the lefty figures to have one of the spots secured.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Not expected to return this season
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Manager David Ross said Wednesday that Steele (back) isn't expected to be reinstated from the injured list prior to the end of the regular season, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Steele threw a successful bullpen session Tuesday and is expected to throw another high-intensity session soon. While the left-hander might have been in the mix for a late-season return if the Cubs were in playoff contention, the team will elect not to rush him back for a short appearance prior to the end of the regular season. Steele had a career-best season in 2022, posting a 3.18 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in 119 innings over 24 starts, and he should be able to have a fairly normal offseason program now that he's ramping up his workload.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Throwing bullpen Saturday
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Steele (back) will throw a bullpen session Saturday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Steele has been sidelined for nearly a month due to a back issue but has been throwing bullpen sessions for two weeks. Although it's encouraging that he's continued to throw off a mound recently, it's not yet clear whether the southpaw will be able to return to game action over the final week and a half of the regular season.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Starts up throwing program
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Steele (back) threw a bullpen session Monday without issue, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Steele has been out of action since feeling soreness in his back in his Aug. 26 start, but he has recovered to the point where he can get back on the mound. It remains to be seen if he will toss another bullpen session or if he is ready to embark on a rehab assignment.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Moved to IL
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The Cubs placed Steele (back) on the 15-day injured list Monday.
The transaction is retroactive to Friday, making Sept. 17 the earliest date Steele will be eligible to rejoin the Cubs. Steele hadn't pitched since Aug. 26, as he missed his subsequent turn through the rotation while he was on the restricted list due to him being ineligible to cross the Canadian border for the Cubs' series in Toronto. He had been expected to rejoin the rotation for the Cubs' first game of the week Tuesday against the Reds, but he was still experiencing back soreness stemming from the Aug. 26 start. The Cubs will now give the prized lefty some extra time to heal up, while prospect Hayden Wesneski was called up from Triple-A Iowa to presumably fill Steele's spot in Chicago's six-man rotation.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Needs more time for back to heal
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Steele (back) won't make a start during the Cubs' three-game home series with the Reds that begins Tuesday, Steve Greenberg of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Steele hasn't pitched since experiencing back soreness coming out of his Aug. 26 start in Milwaukee. He missed out on a start in Toronto last week while he was on the restricted list, and even though he was added back to the active roster Thursday, the Cubs aren't yet comfortable with having him slot back into the rotation. Wade Miley (shoulder) will be activated from the 60-day injured list Tuesday to start the series opener with Cincinnati, giving Steele a few more days to ramp up and move past the injury. If all goes well, Steele could be an option to make a start during the Cubs' series with the Giants over the upcoming weekend.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Comes off restricted list
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The Cubs reinstated Steele (back) from the restricted list Thursday.
Steele was moved to the restricted list Monday in advance of the Cubs' series in Toronto, as he was ineligible to enter Canada due to his vaccination status. When the lefty's turn in the rotation came up during the Toronto series, the Cubs replaced Steele with Luke Farrell, who covered two innings as a starter in Wednesday's 7-5 win. Though he'll be added back to the 28-man active roster now that the series in Toronto has concluded, Steele won't make a start this weekend in St. Louis, as the Cubs likely want to give him additional time to recover from the lower-back tightness he experienced in his last outing Aug. 26 in Milwaukee. If Steele is able to throw a bullpen session over the weekend without any discomfort, he's expected to be plugged back into the rotation for Tuesday's game against the Reds.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Likely starting Tuesday
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Steele (back/personal) is expected to start Tuesday against the Reds, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Steele exited his start against the Brewers on Friday due to low-back tightness and is on the restricted list for the Cubs' series in Toronto that concludes Wednesday. The southpaw will get some extra time to rest upon his return from the restricted list, but he'll likely return to the mound for Tuesday's series opener against the Reds at Wrigley Field.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Officially lands on restricted list
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Steele (back) was placed on the restricted list Monday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Steele experienced low-back tightness during Friday's start against the Brewers, and he'll be unavailable for the Cubs' three-game series in Toronto this week since he's unvaccinated. If his back injury doesn't prevent him from pitching, the southpaw will likely return to action sometime this weekend in St. Louis.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Not available in Toronto
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Cubs manager David Ross said Sunday that Steele, who experienced low-back tightness coming out of his most recent start Friday against the Brewers, won't be eligible to join the team in Toronto for its upcoming three-game series versus the Blue Jays due to his vaccination status, Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago reports.
Along with Steele, fellow starting pitcher Adrian Sampson won't make the trip to Toronto due to the vaccination rules in place for Canada. Sampson is starting Sunday's series finale in Milwaukee and wasn't in line to pitch versus the Blue Jays anyway, but Steele would have been on tap to take the hill Wednesday, assuming his back issue didn't prove to be a concern. Instead, the Cubs will now have to place Sampson on the restricted list Monday and appoint a spot starter for Wednesday's contest. Steele should be on track to make his next start at some point during the Cubs' series in St. Louis next weekend.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Managing low back tightness
Rotowire
Steele was removed from Friday's game against the Brewers due to low back tightness, Tony Andracki of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Although Steele appeared to be reaching for his left leg prior to leaving Friday's matchup with a trainer, he was ultimately diagnosed with a back injury following his departure. It's not yet clear whether the issue will force him to spend time on the injured list. If the southpaw is cleared to make his next turn through the rotation, he projects to start on the road Wednesday in Toronto.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Exits with trainer
Rotowire
Steele was removed from Friday's game against the Brewers in the bottom of the sixth inning due to an apparent leg injury, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Steele was relatively effective to begin Friday's matchup, allowing a run on four hits and four walks while striking out six in 5.1 innings. However, he appeared to grab at the back of his left leg after giving up a flyout in the bottom of the sixth inning, and he exited the game following a visit from the trainer. The exact nature and severity of his injury aren't yet clear, but Steele tentatively lines up to make his next start on the road against Toronto on Wednesday if he's cleared to pitch.
