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Why Justin Steele, Cubs are still striving for a return as 2024 winds down

5 months agoAndy Martinez

Justin Steele and the Cubs still want to see the lefty pitch this season.

Entering Saturday, the Cubs were 6 games back in the NL Wild Card race with 15 games to play, a 0.3% chance at the playoffs, per FanGraphs. Still, that won’t be a factor as to whether he returns to major league action.

“Well, if he’s healthy, he’s gonna pitch,” manager Craig Counsell told reporters before Saturday’s game against the Rockies. “That’s the game plan.”

Steele threw a 40-pitch bullpen session in Colorado on Saturday and felt good after.

“Another good day today,” Counsell said. “Everything went well. He felt good. Threw all his pitches. Got up and down. So very positive. So, check in tomorrow, make sure recovery goes well, and then move forward from there.”

If he recovers well, Steele and the Cubs are optimistic he could be activated during the upcoming homestand — regardless of whether the Cubs are still in the playoff hunt or not.

For Steele, that’s especially true this season.

A season with so much promise for not only the Cubs but Steele himself, started so difficult. On Opening Day, the lefty — who had developed into the team’s ace last season — went down with a hamstring injury and missed over a month of action.

There’s a mental aspect to being able to say you finished the season healthy and pitching.

In 2022, Steele was hurt and last pitched on August 26. But he rehabbed and pitched extended bullpen sessions at the end of the season, to know what it was like to pitch that deep into the season and to head into the winter knowing he was healthy and could contribute.

That’s the same mentality he’ll have this year.

“I mean I think there’s always value to be had with innings being pitched and stuff,” Steele told reporters. “Especially, showing that you’re healthy and whatnot towards the end of the season going into the offseason.”

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