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Craig Counsell Announces Unfortunate Cubs' Justin Steele Update

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matthew Sullivan | Last updated Apr 12, 2025 11:47 AM ET

The Chicago Cubs got bad news with the injury to Justin Steele, which landed him on the 15-day injured list. However, Cubs manager Craig Counsell provided an unfortunate update on the status of Steele's injury and recovery.

In a press conference courtesy of Marquee Sports Network, Counsell announced that Steele will get "some more opinions on it" in regards to Steele's injury.

"We're going to get some more opinions on it. We're kinda dealing with the same thing we dealt with last year. Justin wants to make sure and we want to make sure that we get the right information. So he's going to be getting another opinion, and then we'll go from there."

It's a very pessimistic update from Counsell on Steele's injury, and it leads credence to the belief that Steele will be out a lot longer than initially anticipated.

Steele landed on the injured list due to left elbow tendinitis. It's the third time this issue has popped up for Steele, and with the concern there is more to the injury, the Cubs and Steele are seeking another opinion.

So far in 2025, Steele has thrown 22 and two-thirds innings across his four outings. In his limited action, Steele has a 4.76 ERA, three wins, and one loss. He had 21 strikeouts to just five walks and was off to a strong start to his fifth season.

This injury has been nagging him for multiple years now, and getting a second opinion isn't good news for his prospects of returning any time soon. Counsell points out how the injury is the same one from before.

"We're dealing with the same injury. Obviously, we want to make sure we know why it has happened again, and so Justin's got all the information and we can go from there."

Steele's injury is a big blow to the Cubs rotation. With Javier Assad also injured, the Cubs need starting pitching depth. Fortunately, Matthew Boyd has looked good in his first few appearances.

But, the injury to Steele could be a long-term issue based on the update from Counsell. If it is, the Cubs would likely be very involved in the starting pitching trade market, and free agent pool.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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