Manager Craig Counsell said Friday that Steele will get a second opinion on his left elbow, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Steele has now dealt with tendinitis in his left elbow in back-to-back seasons, and Counsell said the team wants to determine if his recent problems are the result of a larger issue, per Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network. The 29-year-old southpaw recently said he only expects to be on the injured list for the minimum 15 days, though that may change based on the results of his upcoming doctor's visit.

Steele (elbow) believes he will require only a minimum 15-day stay on the injured list, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Steele felt discomfort in his left elbow during the middle of Monday's start against the Rangers, but he remained in the game and threw a couple more scoreless innings, finishing the night with eight strikeouts over seven scoreless frames. However, he felt sore Tuesday and was placed on the IL on Wednesday with what the Cubs are calling left elbow tendinitis. Steele was on the IL last September with the same injury and missed three weeks of action that time. While it's encouraging that Steele believes he will make a quick return, the Cubs will have the ultimate say, and it's too soon to know how much time the southpaw will ultimately miss.

The Cubs placed Steele on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with left elbow tendinitis, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

EDGE Analysis

Steele didn't show any indication of being hurt in his last outing, striking out eight over seven scoreless innings against the Rangers on Monday. However, he will now been shelved for at least next next couple weeks. Steele missed three weeks of action last September with the same injury, which is a bit worrisome. Colin Rea is an option to take Steele's spot in the rotation.

Steele (3-1) picked up the win Monday against the Rangers after giving up three hits and two walks in seven scoreless innings, striking out eight.

EDGE Analysis

Steele looked to be right at home on a cold night at Wrigley Field, scattering three singles with the benefit of having the wind blowing in Monday. It was easily the star left-hander's finest performance of the campaign thus far, as he allowed a season low in knocks and fanned a season-high eight during his longest outing among four starts. Steele has a strong 21:5 K:BB and 1.15 WHIP to go with three wins over his first 22.2 frames, but he'll be looking to improve on his subpar 4.76 ERA in a tough road matchup against the Dodgers that lines up for this weekend.

Steele (2-1) collected the win Tuesday in a 7-4 victory over the A's, giving up four runs on seven hits and a walk over 6.2 innings. He struck out six.

EDGE Analysis

The southpaw served up two-run homers to Brent Rooker in the first inning and Shea Langeliers in the third, but the Cubs' offense bailed him out with a couple long balls of its own. Steele has been taken deep five times in his first three starts of 2025, a somewhat worrying trend for a pitcher who's never had serious issues keeping the ball in the park before -- over the prior three seasons, he never posted a HR/9 rate north of 0.80 -- but the sample size is still small. Steele will look for his third straight win in his next outing, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Rangers.

Steele (1-1) earned the win Thursday in Arizona after allowing three runs on six hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out two.

EDGE Analysis

The left-hander pounded the zone and threw 55 of 77 pitches for strikes, but he generated just four whiffs as Arizona tagged him for three extra-base hits. Steele was able to limit the damage well enough, but he's now surrendered three homers through his first two starts of the season after serving up two long balls in Tokyo against the Dodgers. A more favorable matchup with the Athletics is on the docket next week.

Steele will start the Cubs' domestic opener March 27 in Arizona, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports.

EDGE Analysis

Steele started the second game of the Tokyo Series against the Dodgers this week -- allowing five runs over four innings -- and will get the first turn back home. He will be followed by Jameson Taillon against the Diamondbacks.

Steele (0-1) took the loss against the Dodgers in Tokyo on Wednesday after he surrendered five runs on five hits and one walk across four innings. He struck out five.

EDGE Analysis

Steele struggled to a 9.35 ERA in three spring appearances, and those troubles carried over to his 2025 debut. The left-hander had a 0.7 HR/9 in the previous three seasons, but he was taken deep Wednesday by Tommy Edman and Enrique Hernandez. Steele built up to 67 pitches and could face some minor workload limitations for his first couple starts stateside as he continues to build up his arm.

Steele (illness) allowed seven runs on 10 hits across 3.2 innings in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Brewers. He struck out three.

EDGE Analysis

After being scratched from his scheduled start last week due to flu-like symptoms, Steele got bumped back to Tuesday and struggled with the extra time off, allowing three home runs in the short outing. The lefty finishes his spring training schedule with a rough 9.35 ERA across three appearances. Despite that, Steele is slated to start the Cubs' second game against the Dodgers in Tokyo on March 19.

Steele (illness) will start Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Brewers.

EDGE Analysis

Steele was scratched from his previous scheduled start last Thursday against the Royals after experiencing flu-like symptoms, but he resumed throwing over the weekend without issue and won't be forced to miss any further turns through the spring rotation. Tuesday's outing will mark Steele's final start of spring training before he makes his 2025 debut during the Cubs' second game of the season March 19 versus the Dodgers in Tokyo.