Cubs ace Justin Steele undergoes surgery, shares hospital photo

Chicago Cubs ace left-hander Justin Steele underwent elbow surgery on Friday, he announced on social media.

Post-surgery, he posted a smiling photo on X from his hospital bed, his arm heavily wrapped and resting on a pillow.

"Appreciate the prayers and thoughts.. God is good," he captioned the photo.

Appreciate the prayers and thoughts.. ???? God is good pic.twitter.com/7ovr23GEtT

— Justin Steele (@J_Steele21) April 18, 2025

Earlier in the day, he wrote this:

"Surgery today. Just wanted to take some time to say thank you to everyone who has sent their thoughts and prayers. Truly means the world to me at the number of people who have reached out to my family and me. It's appreciated beyond belief. I'll be back soon and better than ever."

Steele, 29, beat the Cubs to the announcement on Friday. It was known he would have reconstructive elbow surgery and miss the rest of the season, but it was unclear immediately if he had Tommy John surgery or a partial repair.

Steele is two years removed from being an All-Star selection and finishing fifth in National League Cy Young Award voting in 2023, when he went 16-5 with a 3.06 ERA in 30 starts.

Steele was 3-1 through four starts this season, with a 4.76 ERA and five home runs allowed through 22 2/3 innings. His last outing on April 7 saw him toss seven shutout innings with eight strikeouts and just three hits against the Texas Rangers.

In five seasons with the Cubs, he is 32-22 with a 3.30 ERA in 102 games (91 starts), tallying 517 strikeouts and 155 walks in 506 2/3 frames.

--Field Level Media