Justin Steele Reveals Timetable for Return to Chicago Cubs Starting Rotation

Justin Steele cleared up his potential comeback to Wrigley Field as the left-handed pitcher revealed a clearer timetable for a return to the Chicago Cubs starting rotation after he was officially cleared to resume full activity by his surgeon this past weekend. Steele, who made four starts in 2025 before undergoing season-ending elbow surgery, said on Sunday that he is targeting May or early June to make his 2026 season debut with the Cubs.

It does appear as though the Cubs and Steele are taking a cautious approach and won’t be rushing Steele back a year after the surgery. In 2017, the left-handed pitcher did have Tommy John surgery and last April Steele opted for a revision of his UCL instead of a second Tommy John surgery. Normally, pitchers can return from the revision repair within a year, which could have meant Steele would return in mid-April of this year.

However, after announcing that he was medically cleared, Steele clarified that his timetable to return won’t be until May or June. The key for the 30-year-old is an eye on the future as Steele hopes to be a full-go when it comes to playing postseason baseball in October.

Via Marquee Sports Network.

“I would still be sticking with the same timeline that we’ve kind of been saying, May, June-ish. All of this is with the thought in mind that the outings in October and November are going to be the ones that matter the most, so I would say keep that in mind as we’re talking and thinking about this.” -Justin Steele

Since making his MLB debut in 2021, Steele has recorded a 3.30 ERA in 102 total appearances. The lefty became a permanent member of the Cubs’ starting rotation beginning in 2022, and since then Steele has been remarkably consistent, recording a combined 3.10 ERA with a 24.5 K% before his injury-shortened 2025 season.

In 2023, Steele was an All-Star for the National League and he finished fifth in Cy Young Award voting that year as well.

If the Cubs remain healthy from now through the end of spring training, then they’ll be able to begin the regular season with quality up and down their depth chart. As things currently stand this will be their starting rotation until Steele returns.

Projected Starting Rotation
Cade Horton
Matthew Boyd
Edward Cabrera
Shōta Imanaga
Jameson Taillon

Depth Starters
Colin Rea
Javier Assad
Ben Brown
Jordan Wicks
Jaxon Wiggins

That depth may be one of the reasons the Cubs just aren’t stepping on the gas with Steele’s return. It’s smart because as he stated, you want Steele out there in October. This team should have the depth to get through parts of the regular season without Steele or other starters who either may not be performing up to par or are out with an injury of their own.

One important date to keep in mind as we follow Steele’s rehab is May 26. If the Cubs believe Steele can return before that date, then they won’t move the pitcher to the 60-day injured list to make room on the 40-man roster. However, if Steele still isn’t fully back or suffers any type of setback that pushes his return date past May 26, then he’ll be on the 60-day injured list. That basically means he won’t be able to come back until after May 26 at the earliest.

The Cubs begin the regular season on March 26, at home against the Washington Nationals.