Chicago Cubs Ace Justin Steele Hits Injured List With Left Elbow Tendinitis

Justin Steele will miss at least the next two weeks managing tendinitis in his throwing elbow, costing the Chicago Cubs another starting pitcher early on in the season.

Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Justin Steele (35) delivers against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Wrigley Field. | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Chicago Cubs left-handed pitcher Justin Steele has been placed on the 15-day injured list with left elbow tendinitis, the team announced Wednesday morning.

Steele last took the mound Monday, tossing 7.0 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts against the Texas Rangers. Thanks to his early start in the Tokyo Series last month, Steele leads all MLB pitchers with 22.2 innings and 92 batters faced so far this season.

Through four outings in 2025, Steele is 3-1 with a 4.76 ERA, 1.147 WHIP, 8.3 strikeouts per nine innings and a 0.1 WAR.

Right-handed relief pitcher Ethan Roberts has been recalled from Triple-A Iowa to fill Steele's spot on Chicago's active roster.

With Javier Assad also on the injured list dealing with an oblique strain, the Cubs are now down two starters. Shota Imanaga will take the bump Wednesday, then Matthew Boyd and Ben Brown are expected to draw starts over the weekend following an off-day Thursday. Jameson Taillon, meanwhile, is unlikely to start again until next Monday's series-opener against the San Diego Padres.

That leaves a gap in Chicago's rotation for their upcoming series with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who swept them in Tokyo in March. Since then, the Cubs are 9-3, giving them the best record in the NL Central.

The earliest Steele can return to the big leagues is April 24, which is an off-day for the Cubs. They will be back in action on April 25, playing host to the Philadelphia Phillies, although it remains to be seen if he will be on the mend by then.

Steele made his MLB debut in 2021, then spent the next three seasons as Chicago's most reliable starting pitcher. Between 2022 and 2024, Steele went 25-17 with a 3.10 ERA, 1.199 WHIP, 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings and a 7.2 WAR across 78 starts.

On top of making his first All-Star appearance in 2023, Steele also placed fifth in NL Cy Young voting that season.

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