LOS ANGELES — Chicago Cubs left-hander Justin Steele is seeking a second opinion on his ailing elbow.
Following an MRI on Thursday, Steele and the Cubs plan to have the results get another look in the coming days, manager Craig Counsell said before Friday’s series opener at Dodger Stadium.
Steele went on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with left elbow tendinitis, the same injury that put him on the IL for two-plus weeks in September.
“We’re kind of dealing with the same thing we dealt with last year and for that reason I think Justin wants to make sure, and we want to make sure that we’ve got the right information moving forward,” Counsell said. “So he’s going to get another opinion and we’ll go from there.
“Obviously we want to make sure we know why it has happened again.”
Counsell wouldn’t speculate how long Steele might be sidelined or the possible severity of the injury, such as Tommy John surgery, which the 29-year-old had in 2017.
“There’s no decisions right now,” Counsell said. “Justin wants to get all the information.”
The frequency of the reoccurrence of his elbow tendinitis, if the injury ultimately is not more severe, is concerning alone. Counsell noted this is the third time Steele has dealt with tendinitis over the last year: in July, the September IL stint and the current ailment. Steele also missed 2½ weeks in June 2023 because of a left forearm strain.
Steele had expressed hope Wednesday that he wouldn’t miss more time than the minimum IL requirement. He initially felt it during his seven shutout innings in Monday’s win over the Texas Rangers and wondered whether the frigid temperatures contributed to feeling elbow tightness. The Cubs’ starter for Sunday’s series finale is listed as to be determined, with the team potentially knowing after Friday’s game whom they will start.
Left-hander Jordan Wicks was scratched from his start with Triple-A Iowa and is not listed among their weekend starters, which Counsell explained as “we’re going to keep as many pitchers as we can available.” Right-hander Javier Assad is progressing in his build-up and will make a rehab start at Triple A on Tuesday.
Losing Steele for any extended time would be a huge blow to the Cubs. He has been one of the most consistent starters since he began the 2022 season in the rotation. Steele has posted a 3.18 ERA in 82 starts during that span, tied for 11th best among major-league starters and tied for 17th in fWAR.
“We all want to be a little sure, like, if we’re going to keep going, we’ve got to make sure we’re healthy enough to keep going,” Counsell said of Steele. “Because it happening three times (since July), you’ve got to be sure.”
