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Cubs Provide Update on Justin Steele's Surgery

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sam Bernardi | Last updated Apr 20, 2025 8:00 AM ET

Justin Steele recently underwent UCL revision surgery that will sideline him for the rest of the 2025 season and well into the offseason.

It is a brutal blow for a team that still has National League Central aspirations, but will have a hard time surviving this summer without one of their top starting pitchers.

Manager Craig Counsell provided an update on Steele’s surgery and recovery outlook:

“We’re looking at kind of about a year timeframe,” Counsell told reporters before Saturday’s game. “Obviously, he’s got a long rehab ahead of him, and he’ll get started soon, and he’ll put all the work in, and we’ll see where that gets us.”

Steele also posted this picture on his X account:

Appreciate the prayers and thoughts.. God is good pic.twitter.com/7ovr23GEtT
— Justin Steele (@J_Steele21) April 18, 2025

If there is any silver lining to Steele’s injury, it is that he did not require Tommy John surgery, which would have put him out for even longer than his predicted 12-month timeline.

Steele was having an okay start to 2025, with a 3-1 record, a 4.76 ERA, and a 4.84 FIP, but neither of those are indicative of his value to this franchise.

Since Steele's 2021 debut campaign, he has a 3.30 ERA, a 3.48 FIP, and before Shota Imanaga arrived last year, he was one of the lone bright spots in this rotation.

Without Steele, Counsell will need to rely on Colin Rea to fill the fifth starter job. The veteran has been superb through 13 and 2/3 innings with a 1.32 ERA and a 1.49 FIP, but he is also 34 years old and carries a career 4.48 ERA and 4.60 FIP.

Unfortunately, he feels due for regression.

Other Steele replacements include Javier Assad, who is currently on the 15-day injured list, as well as No. 2 prospect , RHP Cade Horton. Assad feels like a more viable option, given his career 3.40 ERA and 4.49 FIP, even with a down year in 2024. Horton, meanwhile, could get his first MLB opportunity if any other starter goes down with injury.

Nobody can replace Steele, except perhaps a blockbuster trade, and Counsell will need to get creative to sustain this loss.

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

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