Cubs put Justin Steele on 15-day IL, recall pitching prospect Ben Brown

ARLINGTON, Texas – The prognosis on Cubs left-hander Justin Steele’s strained left hamstring was better than manager Craig Counsell anticipated after watching him limp off the field Thursday.

The Cubs put Steele on the 15-day injured list on Saturday, as expected after he was hurt fielding a bunt in the Cubs’ season opener on Thursday, and recalled right-handed pitching prospect Ben Brown. An MRI on Friday revealed a Grade 1 strain, Counsell said, which is considered mild.

“He’s much better today,” Counsell said before the Cubs’ game Saturday against the Rangers.

Counsell expects Steele will miss at least the month of April, but the manager did not rule out the possibility of Steele beginning a minor-league rehab assignment in late April.

“You’re not going to see him in a major-league game until some time into May,” Counsell said.

The Cubs medical staff will lay out a plan for Steele once he’s walking without any limp.

“It’s, how much can we do with his arm going up to when we're healthy?” Counsell said. “And then it gets more complicated with starters, on these guys returning to play. How many times are we going to have him go out before he pitches for us?”

Steele played catch Saturday, which Counsell called a “great sign.”

Brown, who was originally scheduled to start for Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, was available off the bench.

“Then we'll move forward from that,” Counsell said. “I expect him to definitely be involved at some length or a start, whatever you want to call it, at some point.”

Counsell has not yet announced who will start in Steele’s place the next turn through the rotation. But Brown will somehow fit into the equation of replacing Steele's innings.

“We've got four games left to play before we have to make any decisions,” Counsell said. “We called Ben up for a reason, and today, he's out of the bullpen. But the sequence of games can make you change your mind, or rain-outs, weather.”

The Chicago weather forecast for the Cubs’ home-opening series against the Rockies next week includes rain on Monday and Tuesday, and snow on Wednesday. If the Cubs have to reschedule one of those games, they might not even need a fifth starter. And if they end up playing a doubleheader next week, they’ll get a “27th man” for that day. The Cubs could also opt for a bullpen day at some point.

“If I don't have to make the decision yet, we're not going to make it yet,” Counsell said.

The decision to call up Brown was more straightforward.

When the Cubs optioned Brown to Triple-A on March 8, Counsell promised: “We’ll be asking about him soon. Really soon.’’

The Cubs called over to minor-league camp to have Brown make two Cactus League starts, getting eyes on him in that role. He threw four scoreless innings against both the Angels and Brewers in performances that Counsell said were “impressive.”

“One on the road against a really good lineup, and then one at home,” Counsell said. “And so he was throwing the ball very well, and that was important as we looked to make this decision.”

Brown was on the cusp of a call-up late last year, but an oblique injury sunk his hopes of debuting.

“I learned so many valuable lessons from last year that we're already seeing play out,” Brown said before the game. “We saw it play out in spring training, where I was able to throw the ball like myself again.”