DENVER — Left-hander Justin Steele went through the most intense test of his throwing program Saturday at Coors Field before the Cubs played the second game of their series against the Rockies.
Steele (left elbow tendinitis) threw about 40 pitches in his bullpen session, he said, with batters standing in for the last 10 to 15.
“The biggest thing is having the relief of throwing and not feeling anything,” Steele said. “Mentally, I’m just a lot more free playing catch. In my bullpen, more focused on doing things over the plate, not necessarily worried about how my arm’s feeling.”
Steele’s recovery from his bullpen session will be the biggest factor in his timeline to return. If all goes well, the plan is for him to throw a light bullpen session at Wrigley Field when the Cubs return to Chicago this week before being activated.
That means he could pitch again in the middle or latter part of the week shortly after he becomes eligible to be reinstated.
“We’ll check in tomorrow and make sure his recovery goes well,” manager Craig Counsell said, “and then move forward from there.”
The Cubs’ performance over the next few days — and that of the Mets and Braves, who are competing for the last National League wild-card spot — will determine if the Cubs will be playing meaningful games when Steele returns.
After dropping the first game of the series 9-5 to the Rockies, the Cubs entered Saturday six games back of a playoff berth. The Mets and Braves hold the tiebreaker over the Cubs.
“If he’s healthy, he’s going to pitch,” Counsell said. “That’s the bottom line.”
If — with a winning streak and some luck — the Cubs make up ground before Steele’s return, he could provide an important jolt to help the team continue to cling to their slim playoff hopes.
Even if they’re out of the race, the Cubs see benefits to Steele pitching again this season.
“There’s always value to be had with innings being pitched,” said Steele, who has thrown 128 innings, “especially showing that you’re healthy toward the end of the season, going into the offseason.”
Steele followed up his 2023 breakout season with a year that has been even more impressive in some ways.
He has just about matched his 3.06 ERA from last year, when he finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting.
Along with his 3.09 ERA in 2024, he has continued to develop, working to stay ahead of hitters by diversifying his pitch mix.
Rocky Mountain ties
The Cubs’ coaching staff has strong ties to Colorado.
The Rockies drafted Counsell in the 11th round of the 1992 MLB Draft. He debuted with the team in September 1995.
Darren Holmes, the Cubs’ bullpen coach, was a reliever on that team. He spent five seasons with the Rockies and returned from 2015 to 2019 as their bullpen coach.
Mark Strittmatter, the Cubs’ field coordinator and catching coach, came up in the Rockies’ farm system at the same time as Counsell but didn’t debut until September 1998.
In his post-playing career, he was with the Rockies from 2003 to 2010 as a bullpen catcher and catching coach, then again from 2013 to 2023 as their minor-league catching coordinator.