NEWSLETTER
ANOTHER UPDATE: Apologies, but this is one of those slow-developing stories that is sufficiently important as to justify lots and lots of updates.
Today’s is from Bruce Levine, who reports – similar to what Jesse Rogers reported the night before – that the MRI on Justin Steele’s arm did show an issue, but not a major one:
I was hoping Steele wouldn’t miss even one game, but everything considered, this would be great news. I’d like to hear what the “very minor issue” is before I react with too much celebration (is it structural or soft tissue?), but here’s hoping that this is the maximum extent of it.
If Steele misses just one start, then the Cubs may not make a roster move (the minimum IL stay for a pitcher is 15 days, which would be at least two starts for Steele). They could just try to cover the start with Hayden Wesneski, who would be on rest, or a combination of Wesneski and Javier Assad, or maybe just Javier Assad, depending on how the intervening days play out. It’s definitely not ideal to try to play down a pitcher, but you also don’t want to force yourself to sit Steele longer than he has to.
More soon, I expect.
*Original post and updates follows*
Chicago Cubs lefty Justin Steele was due to get an MRI on his pitching arm today after leaving yesterday’s game with what was described as “forearm tightness.” Nobody was registering major panic after the game, but concern about anything impacting the forearm is just the natural flow. It’s impossible not to worry.
As we await official word, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers did a little reporting on the radio today. He was on with Marc Silverman, filling in as part of Waddle & Silvy, and he said that he was told that, although Steele might miss a start, it didn’t sound like today has – so far – revealed anything terribly serious. Whether that means the MRI definitively came back clean, or if that’s still just the general sense of how Steele is feeling, I’m not certain.
I expect we’ll get something more official from the team tomorrow when they start their series in San Diego. Until then, cautious optimism?
*Original post follows*
Didn’t think that’s what a Hayden Wesneski piggyback appearance would look like. Hopefully this is nothing, and Wesneski pitches well now in relief of Justin Steele.
That is to say, Justin Steele’s day was done after just three innings today, despite pitching well and being at only 29 pitches. David Ross and the athletic trainer came out to visit Steele in the middle of the third inning, but after a brief conversation, Steele stayed in to finish the inning. You could hope, on that basis, that his exit today was something more like an illness or cramping or something like that, rather than an injury. But we’ll see when we see.
UPDATE: Jed Hoyer says on the broadcast that Justin Steele was trying to stretch out his forearm for most of the game, and the Cubs wanted to be cautious in that removal. No definitive word on what the Cubs are thinking, though. I hate the word forearm there.
UPDATE 2: Officially left forearm tightness:
Came to figure this was going to be the in-game update. Unfortunately doesn’t tell us much of anything. This can be something, or it can be nothing. We’ll know more later, I guess.
UPDATE 3: When you get pulled for “forearm tightness,” I would absolutely hope you get imaging done before picking up a ball again. Hopefully it shows nothing.
