Overview
- Manager Craig Counsell said Monday that Steele flew to Chicago to spend roughly three weeks with the club as he finishes plyo-ball work and moves into a club-managed throwing program.
- Counsell set the throwing start date for June 22, after roughly one more week of plyo-ball and then a couple weeks of progressive long-toss and flat-ground work with team trainers.
- Steele’s rehab follows left-elbow surgery in April 2025 and a subsequent flexor-tendon setback tied to an internal-brace procedure that forced him to restart his recovery this season.
- While the club calls the update encouraging, Steele remains several steps from facing hitters or making a major-league start and a return will depend on clearing mound progression without setbacks.
- Steele’s timetable matters for the Cubs because multiple rotation injuries have forced Chicago to consider outside pitching acquisitions and his availability could change how the team approaches the trade deadline.