MILWAUKEE — Justin Steele envisioned himself being part of the pitching staff that ended the Chicago Cubs’ postseason drought and brought October baseball back to Wrigley Field.
Steele expressed that desire at the start of every spring training the previous three years and the subsequent end of the campaign when the Cubs had fallen short. His 2025 season, though, was over before most of the Cubs’ run to the playoffs could be written. Season-ending elbow surgery cut his year short in April, just four starts in.
The rehab process kept Steele in Arizona close to the team’s complex in Mesa for most of the summer. He rejoined the team for the postseason and has been a fixture in the dugout during their journey to Game 5 of the National League Division Series on Saturday night at American Family Field. No one on the Cubs has been with the organization longer than Steele, their 2014 fifth-round draft pick.
And while he hasn’t been able to affect the playoffs on the mound like he wanted, being back around the team to soak in the postseason environment, especially the magic at Wrigley Field, has still been a memorable experience for the 30-year-old.
“It’s everything I envisioned and more,” Steele told the Tribune this week.
Manager Craig Counsell wanted Steele to be around the team during the playoffs in part because of what he has meant to the organization the last couple of years. Counsell also hopes for players such as Steele and rookie Owen Caissie that witnessing a playoff atmosphere, even from the dugout, could help even a smidge when their moment comes down the road.
“Obviously I want to be out there pitching in those moments, just the competitor in me,” Steele said. “But being here with the guys that I grinded through the offseason preparing for this with, it’s the next best thing. Being here cheering those guys on, being here for them, supporting them throughout the highs and the lows of this playoff run, that stuff definitely means a lot to me.
“Being able to be here and experience all of it, it’ll definitely help me going forward being able to experience the crowds and noise, the jitters you get when you’re not pitching so I’ll kind of know what to expect the next time we’re here.”
Even though Steele can’t help the Cubs on the field, he has been a valuable resource for right-hander Cade Horton. The rookie has made sure to sit next to Steele on the bench during games to talk baseball, pitch sequencing and pick his brain.
“Sitting with him and cheering on the guys, we are in similar situations,” Horton told the Tribune. “So, just being able to contribute in that way with him has been really fun.”
Horton plans to “absolutely” be available for the NL Championship Series, should the Cubs advance. That had been his focus in working back from rib fracture. He threw a light 15-pitch bullpen Wednesday and an up-down bullpen Friday, essentially throwing two innings with a simulated break between to replicate a game situation. Counsell called it “a really positive day.” Horton was eligible to come off the injured list and be added to the NLDS roster for Game 5, but Counsell quickly ruled out that possibility on Friday’s off day.
“It really does suck because it is out of my control,” Horton said this week. “But I talk about all the time, just controlling what I can and going from there not worrying about it sucks I can’t be out there, not worrying about it. The best thing I can do is to heal myself. That’s going to be the best for the team.”
Steele enjoyed getting to watch from afar Horton’s progression this year and how dominant his pitch mix became. He was most impressed by Horton’s changeup and the way it’s become a weapon against big-league hitters.
“Coming through the minors, he leaned on the four-seam and the slider, and then he gets to the big leagues it’s like, oh, this changeup is working a little bit better here, let me use it and he just all of a sudden leans into it — that’s really impressive,” Steele said. “That he’s able to do that at such a young age, so young in his MLB career kind of just gives you a peek into the future, how he’s going to be able to adjust and make in game adjustments. It’s just really exciting.
“What you’re seeing is just the feel for pitching that he naturally has, the way he’s able to manipulate the baseball, he can cut it, he can tail it, make it go both ways, up and down. That’s the thing you notice with someone who doesn’t have that much experience pitching, especially at this level.”
Steele’s journey back to a big-league mound takes an important step forward next week. The lefty said he is scheduled to play catch on either Oct. 18 or 20 for the first time since his surgery. Having gone through an arduous rehab process previous from Tommy John surgery, Steele understands the importance of patience. It has helped that this arm surgery involved a brace procedure rather than a UCL reconstruction with a new ligament that created a different feeling as he worked up to throwing.
“I just move my arm and it comes out the way I’m expecting to, whereas the first time, it felt on my first throw I was like, man, this feels different, this is a different beast I’m working with,” Steele explained. “So everything’s been smooth sailing. The biggest part of the mental grind the first time was trying to relearn how to throw with this new arm. This one’s been easy, it feels like the same hardware.”
Steele isn’t ready to declare 2026 opening day as his return date. He just wants to be back pitching in a Cubs uniform as soon as possible next season and be on the mound in a return trip to the playoffs.
“For me, the most important thing is I want to get to next year and then finish that year healthy then have a normal offseason again,” Steele said. “That’s the main goal.”
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