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Jesse Rogers
CHICAGO — Cubs starter Justin Steele was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with left elbow tendinitis after experiencing tightness during his last start against the Texas Rangers on Monday.
Steele, 29, pitched seven scoreless innings but midway through the outing he began to feel some discomfort.
“I was wanting to continue to pitch,” Steele said. “I wanted to keep going.”
The tightness did not subside the next day leading to him being placed on the injured list. Steele missed time last season with the same ailment but was able to return late in the year.
“I would say it’s a similar feeling,” Steele stated.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell added: “We’re going to take the conservative route here. He has symptoms of an injury he experienced last year.”
Steele is 3-1 with a 4.76 ERA this season, coming off his best start of the year though it came in frigid conditions which helped confuse Steele’s thought process during his outing on Monday.
“Is it the cold or is it my elbow?” Counsell recalled Steele wondering.
It turned out to be his elbow which will undergo an MRI on Thursday.
It’s the third straight year in which Steele has landed on the injured list with an arm injury. He also missed time last season after straining his hamstring while fielding a ball on opening day.
“We’re hoping it’s the minimum and he can be ready in a couple weeks,” Counsell said.
Counsell said the team has a “tentative plan” to replace Steele in the rotation but wouldn’t reveal it just yet. Long-relief man Colin Rea could be a candidate. The team also recalled reliever Ethan Roberts from Triple-A to replace Steele on the roster. The team won’t make a decision on the rotational role until the end of the weekend.
Steele is 32-22 with a career 3.30 ERA in 91 starts,
