Cubs ace Justin Steele sends emotional message ahead of season-ending elbow surgery
Today, Justin Steele will undergo season-ending surgery. The star pitcher was experiencing some elbow troubles and, after a few opinions from doctors, is going to have the dreaded Tommy John surgery to repair his UCL.
It's not quite the career-altering surgery that it used to be, but Tommy John is never good for pitchers. Steele will hope to recover and be back next season without losing velocity and skill.
Ahead of that surgery, Steele wanted to thank Chicago Cubs fans for their unwavering support in the face of this new adversity. He took to X to say:
"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."
Steele will have a 9-12 month recovery period, though some players have been out for 18 months while coming back. For example, Shohei Ohtani still has not pitched since his UCL tear in September 2023. His surgery was in October, and he's not expected to pitch again until the All-Star Break.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are being cautious with their $700 million man after his second TJ surgery. The Cubs may want to be as cautious with their superstar ace as he attempts to recover from his first.
Cubs not looking for trades after Justin Steele injury
Justin Steele will be out for the rest of the season. He'll probably be out for some time next season, too, but the Chicago Cubs can deal with his absence in 2026 with free agent signings or prospect promotions.
For this year, the free agent market is essentially barren at this point, so their options are restricted to trades or internal prospects. The Cubs are reportedly focusing on the latter.
They're not going to try and swing a trade for Dylan Cease or Sandy Alcantara. They'll instead wait for some injured players to return and to see if they can promote some of their top pitching prospects.
That could change as the deadline nears, but their immediate reaction to the injury to Steele is not to make a knee-jerk trade and fill the void immediately.