{"id":106290,"date":"2025-10-12T01:18:32","date_gmt":"2025-10-12T01:18:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=106290"},"modified":"2025-10-12T01:18:32","modified_gmt":"2025-10-12T01:18:32","slug":"its-everything-i-envisioned-rehabbing-lefty-justin-steele-finds-joy-in-chicago-cubs-postseason-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=106290","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It\u2019s everything I envisioned\u2019: Rehabbing lefty Justin Steele finds joy in Chicago Cubs postseason run"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

MILWAUKEE \u2014 Justin Steele envisioned himself being part of the pitching staff that ended the Chicago Cubs\u2019 postseason drought and brought October baseball back to Wrigley Field.<\/p>\n

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\u2019 run to the playoffs could be written. Season-ending elbow surgery cut his year short in April, just four starts in.<\/p>\n

The rehab process kept Steele in Arizona close to the team\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

And while he hasn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s everything I envisioned and more,\u201d Steele told the Tribune this week.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously I want to be out there pitching in those moments, just the competitor in me,\u201d Steele said. \u201cBut being here with the guys that I grinded through the offseason preparing for this with, it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing able to be here and experience all of it, it\u2019ll definitely help me going forward being able to experience the crowds and noise, the jitters you get when you\u2019re not pitching so I\u2019ll kind of know what to expect the next time we\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even though Steele can\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cSitting with him and cheering on the guys, we are in similar situations,\u201d Horton told the Tribune. \u201cSo, just being able to contribute in that way with him has been really fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\u2018It\u2019s
Cubs pitcher Cade Horton hangs out at the end of the dugout during Game 1 of the NL Division Series against the Brewers on Oct. 4, 2025, at American Family Field in Milwaukee. (Chris Sweda\/Chicago Tribune)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Horton plans to \u201cabsolutely\u201d 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 \u201ca really positive day.\u201d 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\u2019s off day.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really does suck because it is out of my control,\u201d Horton said this week. \u201cBut I talk about all the time, just controlling what I can and going from there not worrying about it sucks I can\u2019t be out there, not worrying about it. The best thing I can do is to heal myself. That\u2019s going to be the best for the team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Steele enjoyed getting to watch from afar Horton\u2019s progression this year and how dominant his pitch mix became. He was most impressed by Horton\u2019s changeup and the way it\u2019s become a weapon against big-league hitters.<\/p>\n

\u201cComing through the minors, he leaned on the four-seam and the slider, and then he gets to the big leagues it\u2019s 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 \u2014 that\u2019s really impressive,\u201d Steele said. \u201cThat he\u2019s 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\u2019s going to be able to adjust and make in game adjustments. It\u2019s just really exciting.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you\u2019re seeing is just the feel for pitching that he naturally has, the way he\u2019s able to manipulate the baseball, he can cut it, he can tail it, make it go both ways, up and down. That\u2019s the thing you notice with someone who doesn\u2019t have that much experience pitching, especially at this level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Steele\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just move my arm and it comes out the way I\u2019m 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\u2019m working with,\u201d Steele explained. \u201cSo everything\u2019s 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\u2019s been easy, it feels like the same hardware.\u201d<\/p>\n

Steele isn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor 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,\u201d Steele said. \u201cThat\u2019s the main goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Originally Published:

For injured pitcher Justin Steele, being back around the Chicago Cubs to soak in the postseason environment has still been a memorable experience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":106291,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1856,282,823,1854,290,4121],"class_list":["post-106290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb","tag-cade-horton","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-craig-counsell","tag-justin-steele","tag-milwaukee-brewers","tag-nlds-game-5"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018It\u2019s everything I envisioned\u2019: Rehabbing lefty Justin Steele finds joy in Chicago Cubs postseason run - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=106290\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018It\u2019s everything I envisioned\u2019: Rehabbing lefty Justin Steele finds joy in Chicago Cubs postseason run - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For injured pitcher Justin Steele, being back around the Chicago Cubs to soak in the postseason environment has still been a memorable experience.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=106290\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-12T01:18:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/avtvip-9-2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MrThanh\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MrThanh\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=106290\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=106290\",\"name\":\"\u2018It\u2019s everything I envisioned\u2019: Rehabbing lefty Justin Steele finds joy in Chicago Cubs postseason run - NEWS USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=106290#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=106290#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/avtvip-9-2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-12T01:18:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-12T01:18:32+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/850fd1b8bcb1d322b7f0a04b3d2f18ec\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=106290#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=106290\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=106290#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/avtvip-9-2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/avtvip-9-2.jpg\",\"width\":900,\"height\":900},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=106290#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u2018It\u2019s everything I envisioned\u2019: Rehabbing lefty Justin Steele finds joy in Chicago Cubs postseason run\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"NEWS USA\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/850fd1b8bcb1d322b7f0a04b3d2f18ec\",\"name\":\"MrThanh\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8c8f2d90ff2a21a61a5e6bc0619622a5021fc65353885d9d7b3db1c8c7c1ca8d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8c8f2d90ff2a21a61a5e6bc0619622a5021fc65353885d9d7b3db1c8c7c1ca8d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"MrThanh\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=6\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u2018It\u2019s everything I envisioned\u2019: Rehabbing lefty Justin Steele finds joy in Chicago Cubs postseason run - NEWS USA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=106290","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u2018It\u2019s everything I envisioned\u2019: Rehabbing lefty Justin Steele finds joy in Chicago Cubs postseason run - NEWS USA","og_description":"For injured pitcher Justin Steele, being back around the Chicago Cubs to soak in the postseason environment has still been a memorable experience.","og_url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=106290","og_site_name":"NEWS USA","article_published_time":"2025-10-12T01:18:32+00:00","og_image":[{"width":900,"height":900,"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/avtvip-9-2.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"MrThanh","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"MrThanh","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=106290","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=106290","name":"\u2018It\u2019s everything I envisioned\u2019: Rehabbing lefty Justin Steele finds joy in Chicago Cubs postseason run - NEWS USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=106290#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=106290#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/avtvip-9-2.jpg","datePublished":"2025-10-12T01:18:32+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-12T01:18:32+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/850fd1b8bcb1d322b7f0a04b3d2f18ec"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=106290#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=106290"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=106290#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/avtvip-9-2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/avtvip-9-2.jpg","width":900,"height":900},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=106290#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u2018It\u2019s everything I envisioned\u2019: Rehabbing lefty Justin Steele finds joy in Chicago Cubs postseason run"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/","name":"NEWS USA","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/850fd1b8bcb1d322b7f0a04b3d2f18ec","name":"MrThanh","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8c8f2d90ff2a21a61a5e6bc0619622a5021fc65353885d9d7b3db1c8c7c1ca8d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8c8f2d90ff2a21a61a5e6bc0619622a5021fc65353885d9d7b3db1c8c7c1ca8d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"MrThanh"},"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=6"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106290","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=106290"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106290\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":106292,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106290\/revisions\/106292"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/106291"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=106290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=106290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=106290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}