Chicago Cubs Ace Justin Steele Posts Emotional Message Ahead of Major Surgery

The Chicago Cubs are going to be without their star lefty for the remainder of the season.

Mar 27, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Justin Steele (35) pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Chase Field. | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs were dealt a brutal blow last week when it was announced that star left-handed ace Justin Steele was going to undergo season-ending surgery on his pitching elbow.

Initially diagnosed with tendonitis, a second opinion revealed Steele had been dealing with a recurring injury. The team is hopeful that surgery will be able to fix it. But nonetheless, he is lost for the 2025 season.

Steele is headed in for surgery on Friday morning, and before he went under the knife, he took some time on his social media to thank fans who reached out and wished him well with support.

Surgery today. Just wanted to take some time to say thank you to everyone who has sent their thoughts and prayers. Truly means the world to me at the number of people who have reached out to my family and me. It’s appreciated beyond belief. I’ll be back soon and better than ever.

— Justin Steele (@J_Steele21) April 18, 2025

"Surgery today," Steele wrote. "Just wanted to take some time to say thank you to everyone who has sent their thoughts and prayers. Truly means the world to me at the number of people who have reached out to my family and me. It’s appreciated beyond belief. I’ll be back soon and better than ever."

In what winds up being his final start of the campaign, Steele tossed seven scoreless innings with just three hits allowed and eight strikeouts.

The Cubs entered the season with what was seen as a thin starting rotation, so getting the best version of Steele was critical to having a successful staff as a whole.

With him out, there are numerous guys who need to step up, but if Chicago is not able to replace him by committee in house -- which at least for now is the plan -- there will be players available on the trade market to provide help.

Across five Major League seasons, Steele has made 102 appearances for the Cubs, including 91 starts. He has an ERA of 3.30 and a WHIP of 1.214 with a record of 32-22. He also has 517 strikeouts over 506.2 innings pitched.

While he has been prone to streakiness -- the start of this year being no exception -- he has had a tendency to show some brilliance when he is at his best.

He has missed time before, including down the stretch of last year's regular season, but for the most part, he has been dependable to be on the mound and has made quality starts.

Someone like that cannot be replaced barring a blockbuster trade.