Chicago Cubs Ace Likely To Spend April On Injured List

The Chicago Cubs will have to do without their top left-handed pitcher for the next several weeks after a grade one hamstring strain on Opening Day.

Chicago Cubs fans may want to get used to seeing Ben Brown around Wrigley Field for a few weeks.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell told the Chicago Tribune and other outlets on Saturday that starting pitcher Justin Steele has a Grade 1 hamstring strain. That’s better than a tear, but Counsell said that the injury will keep Steele out through at least April.

The timeline isn’t definitive, though. Counsell said the Cubs won’t put any sort of target date on his rehab assignment until Steele can walk normally. But he didn’t rule out the left-hander starting a rehab assignment by the end of April.

But it seems clear that Steele will miss significant time and that the Cubs are in no hurry to rush him.

Steele underwent an MRI on Friday after suffering the injury while fielding a bunt by Texas’ Leody Taveras in the fifth inning on Thursday. Even after the opener and before the MRI, Counsell admitted that an injury list stint for Steele was likely.

That takes their best starting pitcher from 2023 out of the rotation at a time in which Jameson Taillon is also on the 15-day injured list. Steele went 16-5 last season with a 3.06 ERA and was making the first Opening Day start of his career.

The Cubs called up Brown, their No. 10 overall prospect and one of their best pitching prospects, up to the Major League roster on Saturday.

Steele’s place in the rotation won’t come up until the Cubs return to Chicago and host the Colorado Rockies. Steele would have pitched on Wednesday on an extra day of rest.

Brown had not yet pitched at Triple-A Iowa and threw four scoreless innings in his last spring training appearance on March 23.  He pitched one inning of scoreless relief on Saturday before giving up six runs in his second inning of relief before he was pulled.