Justin Steele has worked his way back into the Cubs’ late-September conversation, and after the road he has traveled, that alone counts as meaningful progress. Chicago has not decided whether the left-hander will be activated for the season-ending series in Boston, but Steele is back with the club and could be an option as the Cubs try to secure their National League Wild Card position.
Steele is scheduled for a bullpen session Wednesday, the next checkpoint after finishing his four-outing rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Iowa. His final appearance came Friday against Omaha, when he threw two hitless innings, struck out five and issued one walk. That sharp outing gave the Cubs another reason to consider whether there is room for him in the final regular-season pitching picture.
“He’s in the conversation, and that is a victory for him considering how far he has come,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. The club will first need to assess its roster situation, recent developments and the demands of the closing weekend before making the call.
For Steele, 31, this is the latest stage of a comeback that has required considerable patience. A fifth-round Cubs selection in the 2014 Draft, he grew into an All-Star and a Cy Young Award candidate in 2023, then took the ball as Chicago’s Opening Day starter in 2024. Injuries then wiped out much of the following two seasons. He had surgery on his left elbow in April 2025, and a flexor strain earlier this year pushed his return further down the calendar.
A possible bullpen role in Boston
With the season nearly finished, the Cubs have viewed any Steele return as a relief assignment rather than a starter’s workload. Across 7 2/3 innings for Iowa, he recorded 11 strikeouts against one walk while posting a 4.70 ERA. The line was uneven, but the final appearance showed the kind of swing-and-miss stuff and confidence the club wanted to see from a pitcher rebuilding both his arm strength and his rhythm.
Manager Craig Counsell said Steele’s most recent outing was encouraging beyond the results on the scoreboard. He emphasized the value of a returning pitcher leaving the mound feeling that the ball came out well and that his work had produced success. Still, Counsell noted that Steele’s readiness is only one piece of the decision. Chicago must also weigh the wider roster picture and make sure its final choices serve the club’s needs.
The Cubs are balancing those choices while the Wild Card race remains unsettled and possible weather issues hover over the Red Sox series. Seeding has yet to be determined, and every available inning could matter as Chicago closes the regular season.
Steele is not the only player being kept close. Reliever Trent Thornton, on the 15-day injured list with a left ankle sprain, is also with the team in Chicago. Catching prospect Owen Ayers is there primarily to absorb the atmosphere and gain experience. Elsewhere, the Cubs have a group continuing workouts in Arizona: pitchers Jordan Wicks, Tyler Ferguson, Gavin Hollowell and Braxton Garrett; catcher Austin Wynns; outfielders Kevin Alcántara and Justin Dean; and utility player James Triantos.
For now, Steele remains a possibility rather than a final decision. But after elbow surgery, a delayed return and a measured rehab climb, the Cubs are at least discussing whether one of their longtime left-handed starters might help them get through the last weekend of the season.
