Justin Steele Injury Update is Not Good
Well, as if Opening Day couldn’t get worse, Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters that left-handed pitcher Justin Steele is expected to go on the injured list after leaving Thursday night’s game against the Texas Rangers with a hamstring injury.
Steele got hurt when he fielded a bunt attempt in the fifth inning and although some fans held out hope that it was only a cramp or a minor injury after seeing Steele walk off the field without any help, he is now going to be sidelined for at least a couple weeks. Counsell said Steele will get an MRI.
Cubs may already be feeling the aftereffects of not pursuing any of the top two free agent starting pitchers that signed relatively low-risk deals late in spring training. Those two pitchers are of course Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery, who both signed two-year deals with the San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks, respectively.
The Cubs lost 4-3 to the Rangers on Opening Day, blowing a one-run lead three separate times throughout the game.
(Previous Update)
What the fuck man! Justin Steele just exited his Opening Day start after fielding a bunt in the bottom of the fifth inning against the Texas Rangers. The Cubs’ ace made the play, but in doing so Steele appeared to injure his left leg. He was grabbing the back of his leg.
The only good news and who knows at this point, is that Steele was able to walk off under his own power after getting checked out by the team trainer.
Here’s the play.
The Cubs are already beginning the season testing their pitching depth as veteran right-hander Jameson Taillon is currently on the 15-day injured list because of a back strain. Taillon didn’t pitch a single inning during spring training, first missing time with a calf issue and then he suffered a back strain in the middle of March.
Young lefty Jordan Wicks and third-year pitcher Javier Assad are already in the starting rotation and if Steele has to miss extended time, then we might see 24-year-old right-hander Ben Brown come up to fill in. Brown was stellar in spring training and would be at the top of the list for the Cubs to call on after Steele’s Opening Day injury.