The NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs got some bad news on Sunday.
Left-handed starter Justin Steele will undergo season-ending surgery on his pitching elbow, The Athletic's Patrick Mooney reported after Cubs manager Craig Counsell spoke to reporters.
Steele went to get a second opinion on his left elbow tendinitis earlier this week. It's the third time he has dealt with the injury.
Counsell said the fact that it’s a recurrence played into the decision to get another look.
“We want to make sure we know why it has happened again so Justin's got all the information and then we can go from there,” Counsell said Friday before the Cubs opened a three-game series at the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Steele underwent an MRI on Thursday that showed he's dealing with a similar issue to last year, when tendinitis kept him out just over two weeks late in the season before he made a strong return.
The left-hander was 3-1 with a 4.76 ERA before going on the 15-day injured list Wednesday.
Chicago entered play Sunday with a 10-7 record, with an MLB-best 112 runs scored. Without Steele, it is expected that right-hander Colin Rea will join the Cubs rotation.
— With files from the Associated Press
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