MESA, Ariz. — You didn’t need to be a psychic to have an idea of who will start the second game of the season for the Cubs.

“I think Justin [Steele’s] going to be in line to pitch the second game,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said on Wednesday at Sloan Park.

Last year’s Opening Day starter, and still one of the aces at the top of Counsell’s rotation, Steele seemed like the obvious decision. The lefty’s 2024 campaign wasn’t quite like the previous year, when he garnered Cy Young votes, but it still was a solid campaign.

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Steele posted a 3.07 ERA across 24 games (134.2 innings) with his first career complete game. But he did miss some time due to injury — he suffered a hamstring injury on Opening Day that caused him to miss all of April and then he landed on the IL again for two weeks with left elbow tendinitis in September.

“It was just an odd way to start the season last year,” Steele said on Wednesday. “But I came back, I was able to get my groove, find a groove kind of middle of the season and stuff and I feel good with how I pitched last year, would just like to stretch it over 30 starts.”

He’ll have the opportunity to do so at the Tokyo Dome against the World Series champions.

ABS System in play

Thursday marks the beginning of Cactus League play for the Cubs — and it’ll feature a little bit of a new look, too.

The Cubs travel to Glendale, Ariz. to take on the Dodgers on Thursday at Camelback Ranch, one of the facilities in the Cactus League that implements the Automatic Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system — and will be used this spring training.

So, have the Cubs prepared for using it?

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“No,” Counsell said. “It’s a spring training game with a system that’s not being used during the season. We’ll tell the guys before they go up to the plate and the catcher before the game.

There’s not even a bit of curiosity to see it in action?  

“I mean, that process will naturally happen, I think,” Counsell added. “But, again, it’s a test for some future, unknown thing. So, it’s a little hard to put your head and really prepare for it.

“There’s enough that we got to get ready for. I’m sure we’ll see the first one, and there’ll be maybe an ‘Ooh,’ maybe an ‘Ah.’”

Camp updates

The Cubs again took drills and live batting practice inside Sloan Park on Wednesday.

Colin Rea (two innings), Ryan Pressly and Keegan Thompson pitched against Cubs hitters.

Up Next

The Cubs open Cactus league play on Thursday against the Dodgers at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz. Right-handed pitcher Cody Poteet will start in the opener.