Justin

Steele

On the plus side, the 29-year-old hurler did record a pair of strikeouts and did not walk a batter. All of the damage done against him came in his final inning as Jake Burger smacked a two-out single into right field and Kyle Higashioka followed with a two-run blast. Steele got just one swing and miss on 33 pitches in the ballgame, registering a CSW of 30 percent. He has looked very sharp through his first two spring starts, so don’t be surprised if his average draft position (currently around 120) begins to climb.

Sure it’s an exhibition start, and sure it’s against the worst team in baseball. Steele was nevertheless impressive; allowing a pair of singles and picking up five-of-six outs via punchout. Steele was limited by injury in 2024, but he has the arsenal and command to be a very strong fantasy option in 2025.

Steele will follow Opening Day starter Shota Imanaga and will have the distinction of facing off against Roki Sasaki when the pitching phenom makes his highly-anticipated major-league debut in the Tokyo Dome. The 29-year-old lefty made only 24 starts last year due to injury, but should be a borderline top 40 range starting pitcher in fantasy drafts this spring.

Steele made $4 million as a Super Two player last year, so this is his second of four arbitration seasons. The 29-year-old was limited to 24 starts last season, but he ended up with a 3.07 ERA. He should work nicely as a No. 3 starter in mixed leagues this season.

He struck out three and didn’t walk anybody but did allow a solo home run to Bryce Harper in the first inning. The left-hander has made two starts since coming off the IL with elbow inflammation, so fantasy managers can expect him to head into the offseason with a mostly clean bill of health. The 29-year-old will finish the season with a 3.07 ERA and 135:37 K:BB ratio in 134 2/3 innings. This is his third straight strong season, so provided he gets through the offseason without any lingering issues from his elbow, he should head into 2025 as an SP2 for fantasy purposes.

Since the Cubs ended up losing the game, the NL Central was officially clinched by the Brewers. This was expected to be a short-ish outing, but Steele needed 57 pitches to get his eight outs, leading to an especially early exit. He allowed two hits, walked three and struck out one. Assuming that his elbow bounces back fine, he’ll likely start again versus the Phillies next Monday.

Steele is off the injured list and will make the start against the Athletics on Wednesday. The left-hander missed the minimum stint on the IL while recovering from elbow tendinitis. He seems like a worthwhile option for Wednesday’s start against Oakland.

The first 25 pitches were solo action, and then hitters stood in for the final 15 offerings. Steele told reporters it was a “good day,” and that’s always nice to hear. The left-hander is working his way back from tendinitis in his pitching elbow, and it remains to be seen if he can return before the end of the 2024 campaign.

It’s the first time he’s been able to throw off the mound since being placed on the IL with left elbow tendinitis exactly one week ago. The 29-year-old will likely need to complete a few bullpen sessions and perhaps a simulated game — a rehab start may be difficult with the MiLB season coming to an end soon — but if things go well, Steele could return before 2024 comes to a close.

Steele was unable to make his start Tuesday because of inflammation in his elbow, and now has been diagnosed with the tendinitis. Kyle Hendricks made the start for Steele on Tuesday and pitched well, and likely will continue to make starts until Steele can come back. There’s no timetable for Steele’s return, but the IL stint will cause him to miss at least two weeks.