Justin Steele's throwing progression will continue beyond the Aug. 3 trade deadline. Masterpress / Getty ImagesJuly 8, 2026 7:44 pm EDT Updated BALTIMORE — While planning for a pitching-heavy draft and trade deadline, the Chicago Cubs expect Justin Steele to resume throwing off a mound the first week of August, which leaves a narrow window to join a playoff race in progress, assuming no setbacks.“We’ve made that clear,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. “The schedule is very tight with Justin.”Steele had a consultation Tuesday with Dr. Keith Meister, the Texas-based surgeon who handled the season-ending procedure on his left elbow last year, and then diagnosed a flexor strain in April.
Steele’s throwing progression will continue beyond the Aug. 3 trade deadline, meaning the Cubs will have to make roster decisions for the stretch run without knowing what they might get from the one-time All-Star.Steele, who will turn 31 on Saturday, is a homegrown pitcher who made his major-league debut as a left-handed reliever and then transitioned to starting after the club’s sell-off at the 2021 trade deadline.Steele finished fifth in the 2023 National League Cy Young Award voting and then accounted for 24 starts in 2024, but it’s been 15 months since he last pitched in a major-league game.“There’s no question about it,” Counsell said, “stretching out as a starter is really not realistic for him.”Jul 8, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms
