Steele exited Thursday's game against the Rangers with an apparent injury to his left hamstring, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Steele moved quickly off the mound to field a bunt and suffered the injury in the process. He pitched very well prior to his exit, allowing only three hits and one earned run to go along with a walk and six strikeouts across 4.2 innings. The extent of the issue isn't currently clear.

Steele (knee) declared himself ready to start Thursday's season opener versus the Rangers in Arlington after he threw a bullpen session Monday without incident, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Even though he left early in his final Cactus League start Friday against the Giants due to a left knee contusion, Steele never appeared to be in legitimate danger of missing out on the Opening Day assignment. Before hurting his knee Friday, Steele had built up to 64 pitches and four innings in his prior Cactus League start March 12, so he should be capable of giving the Cubs at least 75 pitches and five innings in Thursday's opener. The 28-year-old lefty is coming off a breakout 2023 campaign in which he went 16-5 with a 3.06 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 176:36 K:BB over 173.1 innings en route to a fifth-place finish in the National League Cy Young Award balloting.

Manager Craig Counsell said Saturday that Steele (knee) is still scheduled to start for the Cubs on Opening Day against Texas, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

EDGE Analysis

Steele's status for the first game of the season had been in question after he took a hard comebacker off his left knee Friday against San Francisco. However, he only suffered a bruise as a result of the incident, and his knee doesn't seem to be bothering him enough to keep him off the mound. Steele owns a 4.91 ERA through 11 spring innings and will be making the first Opening Day start of his career Thursday.

Steele suffered a left knee contusion during Friday's Cactus League game against the Giants, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

EDGE Analysis

Steele was hit in the knee by a comebacker off the bat of Luis Matos during the second inning of Friday's contest, but it seems Steele managed to escape without any serious injuries. It remains to be seen whether he'll start as scheduled on Opening Day, but a trip to the injured list appears unlikely for the 28-year-old southpaw. Steele has allowed six earned runs across 11 innings this spring while striking out 13 batters and walking two.

Steele was removed from Friday's Cactus League start versus the Giants after being hit in the left knee by a comebacker, Marquee Sports Network reports.

EDGE Analysis

Steele stayed down on the ground for a bit after being struck by a ball off the bat of Luis Matos before eventually walking off the field with a limp. He'll be examined, although it's not clear at this point whether the southpaw will need to undergo any testing. Steele was making his final tune-up start before his scheduled Opening Day assignment on March 28 against the Rangers.

Manager Craig Counsell confirmed Saturday that Steele will start for the Cubs on Opening Day versus Texas, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

EDGE Analysis

Coming off the best season of his three-year career, Steele will be awarded his first Opening Day start. The 28-year-old southpaw finished last season with a 3.06 ERA and 1.17 WHIP alongside a 176:36 K:BB across 173.1 innings, and he finished fifth in NL Cy Young Award voting. Steele has gotten off to a slow start in Cactus League play, allowing four runs in six innings, but he figures to put together another strong campaign in 2024 if he stays healthy.

Steele said his goal for 2024 is to make at least 30 starts and log 180 or more innings for the first time in his career, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

EDGE Analysis

Steele made exactly 30 starts in 2023 and tossed a career-high 173.1 innings. It was a decent jump from the 119 innings he recorded in 2022, but the southpaw didn't seem bothered by the larger workload, as he recorded a strong 3.06 ERA and 1.17 WHIP, which were both improvements from the previous season. Steele is likely in line to start on Opening Day for the Cubs, and if he can stay healthy this year, another big performance could be in store for the emerging ace.

The Cubs and Steele avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $4 million contract Thursday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

It's a substantial raise for Steele after he qualified for Super 2 status. The left-handed earned the salary bump after finishing fifth in the National League Cy Young voting in 2023 following a 3.06 ERA and 176:36 K:BB across 173.1 innings covering 30 starts.

Steele won't start Sunday against the Brewers after the Cubs were eliminated from playoff contention Saturday, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The Cubs stumbled down the stretch and are no longer in postseason contention, so they won't send out their ace for the final game of the season. Steele struggled over his final three outings with 15 runs allowed, but he was in the thick of the race for the NL Cy Young Award for most of the campaign and will finish his third year in MLB with a 3.06 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 176:36 K:BB over 173.1 innings.

Steele did not factor into the decision Tuesday, allowing three runs on six hits and a walk over 5.1 innings against Atlanta. He struck out six.

EDGE Analysis

Steele held Atlanta off the board through five innings Tuesday before surrendering three runs in the sixth. Chicago's bullpen would ultimately squander a three-run lead, leaving Steele with a no-decision. Despite a tough finish, it was a step in the right direction for the left-hander after he allowed six runs in each of his prior two outings. Steele will carry a 3.06 ERA, 1.17. WHIP and 176 strikeouts into his final start of the regular season, currently scheduled for this weekend in Milwaukee.