Cubs pitcher Justin Steele has been shut down in his rehab from Tommy John surgery due to a setback. He will be re-evaluated in a month, likely delaying his return until after the All-Star break.
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The Cubs pitching staff has been absolutely ravaged with injuries and more bad news popped up on Tuesday. Lefty Justin Steele, who had Tommy John surgery last April, suffered a setback in his rehab and had to be shut down. He will be re-evaluated in a month, per Cubs manager Craig Counsell (via The Athletic).
"This is a place that's hard because there's not much you can say to make a person feel better in this situation," Counsell said. "The grind of a rehab, unfortunately, can do this to you. You don't have a choice but to kind of take it in and try to go have a good day tomorrow. Today was obviously not a good day for Justin. But I think that's the attitude he's going to take. It's your only choice, really, in this thing."
This news means Steele will almost certainly not be back until after the All-Star break, maybe even until August. We're nearly to May and he's shut down for a month. Even if his re-evaluation goes well, he'd need to build back up his arm strength before heading out on a minor-league rehab stint.
Earlier this month, the Cubs lost young righty Cade Horton for the year. In addition to these two starters, there are eight other pitchers on the injured list, including late-inning relievers Daniel Palencia, Hunter Harvey and Caleb Thielbar.
The current Cubs' rotation is Shota Imanaga, Matthew Boyd, Edward Cabrera, and . The sixth option would be . It'll likely stay this way until Steele returns. Top prospect , in Triple-A, is also out with an injury.
Justin Steele suffered a setback in his rehab from Tommy John surgery and has been shut down for a month.
Justin Steele is unlikely to return until after the All-Star break, possibly in August.
Steele's setback adds to the challenges faced by the already injury-ravaged Cubs pitching staff.
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Despite all the injuries, the Cubs recently won 10 games in a row, though they've since lost three straight. They are 17-12, good for second place in the NL Central.