The Chicago Cubs have been cruising along in 2025, despite losing the ace of their pitching staff in Justin Steele early on in the season.
Steele, who last pitched for Chicago on April 7 against the Texas Rangers, was ruled out for the rest of the season shortly after as it was determined he needed revision repair surgery on the UCL in his throwing arm.
This procedure is different from the well-known Tommy John operation, which Steele underwent in 2017 to replace the UCL in his left elbow.
This slightly less invasive surgery took place on Friday, and was completed successfully according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. The surgery was done by Dr. Keith Meister, one of the foremost surgeons in the field and the team surgeon for the Texas Rangers.
Steele, who posted a heartwarming message to everybody supporting him before the operation, posted a follow up on his personal X account seeming to confirm that the operation went well.
It will be at least a year before Cubs fans can expect to see Steele back on the bump at Wrigley, but he appears to be in good spirits.
The former fifth-round draft pick made his MLB debut for Chicago in 2021, and has quickly become the headliner of a rotation that has blossomed into one of the best in baseball.
The lefty had his best season in 2023, posting a 16-5 record and 3.06 record en route to being named an All Star for the first time and finishing top five in Cy Young voting.
Steele was off to another hot start in 2025 before injury, holding a 3-1 record at the time he was shelved. Now, he'll be looking to begin the long recovery process that goes along with elbow reconstruction.
It won't be unfamiliar territory for Steele though, and he'll have the entire support of Cubs nation behind him along the way.
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