WATCH: Justin Steele on his left elbow injury |
Tony Crumpton
-
- Wednesday, April 09 2025
Chicago Cubs pitcher Justin Steele speaks to the media ahead of Wednesday's game against the Texas Rangers about the left elbow tendinitis that put him on the 15-day injured list, when it started to occur and more.
“I was talking to Tommy [Hottovy] andCounsell throughout the start, and I was like, ‘My arm’s starting to tighten up on me a little bit,’ ” Steele said “I was at the fourth, fifth inning, was just doing stuff in between innings to keep it warm, moving [it] around and stuff.” Counsell is going to be conservative with Steele since its a long season ahead. “We’re going to take the conservative route here,” Counsell said. “He had symptoms of an injury that he experienced last year. For that reason, rather than having him focus on his next start, I think it’s just best that we back off that and make sure he recovers in a really good place. And we’re hoping it’s the minimum and he can be ready to go in a couple of weeks.” No word yet on how long Steele will be out. “We have a tentative plan, and that means we don’t have to figure it out yet,” Counsell said. “That spot comes up — we got to talk about Sunday, Monday, essentially.” Watch the pregame video below:
Video summary/cliff-notes:
(00:00–00:35) Steele first felt tightness and soreness in his elbow during the 4th or 5th inning of a recent start; he tried to manage it between innings and reported it to trainers the next day.
(00:35–01:04) He compared the discomfort to a similar injury from late last year and said that recovery protocols, like using red light therapy, were started promptly.
(01:04) An MRI is planned, though it hadn't been done yet at the time of the interview.
(01:15–01:46) Steele expressed frustration with the injury, especially since he aimed to stay in the rotation consistently this season.
(01:46–02:19) Despite the pain, Steele felt he was still pitching effectively and wanted to continue during the game.
(02:19–02:52) He emphasized a mindset of taking injuries day by day, as he's had to deal with multiple setbacks in his career.
(02:52) Steele was ready to make his next start, but the team chose to place him on the injured list instead.
(03:23) He acknowledged the Cubs' pitching depth, saying the team is equipped to handle situations like his injury.
(03:23–End) Cold weather might have been a contributing factor, with noticeable dips in velocity across pitchers during the series.
