Chicago Cubs: Positive news on injured ace, rehab ahead of schedule

The Chicago Cubs bolstered their starting rotation by trading for emerging right-handed power pitcher Edward Cabrera from the Miami Marlins. Prior to that they retained the services of lefty Shota Imanaga and swing man Colin Rea, who performed very well as a starter last season.

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The Cubs got an added injection of rotation positivity this week with the latest update on injured ace Justin Steele’s progress.

Justin Steele recovery ahead of schedule, threw from mound

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Chicago Tribune Cubs beat writer Meghan Montemurro is reporting that the southpaw threw from the mound on Friday, for the first time since his April 18 elbow surgery and that his rehabilitation is actually ahead of schedule.

“There hasn’t really been any hiccups at all through this process,” Steele told Montemurro. “It’s felt good the entire time. If anything, we’re ahead of schedule. Kind of been pushing the envelope the entire time, wanting to get off the mound, push the footage back as far as the throwing progression goes. But, yeah, it’s full steam ahead.”

The 30-year-old Steele would double down on his optimism in an interview with Marquee Sports Network at this year’s Cubs convention:

“I threw off the mound yesterday for the first time…felt great, you know, I’ve been doing the normal throwing progression in the past however so many months, weeks and it’s been feeling really good…It felt really good to get off the slope, felt like back to normal…just ready to start building the volume off the mound again.”

No need to rush

Steele went down for the 2025 season after just four starts and after a stellar 7-inning shutout versus the Texas Rangers on April 7.

Technically, there was a possibility that he could be back from his surgery at the start of the season, but the feeling within the team seems to be that pushing his recovery is neither prudent nor necessary at the moment. Starting the 2026 season, the Cubs aim to carry a starting rotation consisting of Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, Edward Cabrera, Jameson Taillon, and Shota Imanaga, with Colin Rea and Javier Assad as possible fill-ins.

Chicago’s depth in starting pitching will allow Steele to continue his rehabilitation at a slower, more deliberate pace with the end goal being full recovery by the start of the dog days of summer and the team’s hopeful postseason run.

Full recovery at the perfect time

Per Montemurro:

“Steele expects his surgeon, Dr. Keith Meister, will want him to be on some level of an innings limit for 2026 and so he anticipates that will impact when he comes back, though the belief is it will be sometime early in the season. The Cubs envision playing in October and making a deeper run this year, lessening a rush to get Steele back as soon as possible, especially with the depth they have built for the rotation.”

As things stand right now with the Cubs’ starting rotation, barring injury or unexpected setbacks, the team seems to have solid depth. If the goal is a deep postseason push, having a proven pitching asset like Steele back on the mound and fully recovered will be an incredible boost for the team, akin to acquiring a front-of-rotation trade deadline starter just in time for the pennant race.

For the last four years, Steele has been the Cubs’ most reliable and consistently effective starter, posting a 3.18 ERA over 82 starts in that span of time. A healthy and fresh Justin Steele in the Cubs rotation, just in time for the most crucial part of the season, would be killer.

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Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-justin-steele-rehab-update-return-2026