Justin Steele's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Justin Steele (leg) was forced to exit early during Friday's Cactus League matchup against the San Francisco Giants. The left-hander was lifted after being struck by a ball on the lower left leg. He remained on the ground while grabbing his knee until eventually exiting the contest. This is not good news as Steele is the ace of this staff and a CY Young candidate last season. His absence would be a huge hit to this team. The organization is likely to have Steele undergo further testing and will give an update on his status later in the day.

Chicago Cubs left-hander Justin Steele has been announced as the Opening Day starter, as per skipper Craig Counsell. It's the first Opening Day start for Steele as he looks to build on a season that saw him enter the NL Cy Young conversation. The 28-year-old worked to a 3.06 ERA across 30 starts, posting an impressive 19.6% K-BB% in the process. The southpaw has been a model of consistency in his young career as he owns a 3.30 ERA and a 16.8% K-BB% in 74 outings (63 starts) while generating ground balls at a healthy 50.2% clip. The Cubs lost starter Marcus Stroman in free agency but also added international free agent Shota Imanaga. Steele now headlines a rotation that ranked 14th with a 4.26 ERA a season ago.

The Chicago Cubs and left-hander Justin Steele have avoided arbitration and have agreed to a one-year, $4 million deal for the 2024 campaign. The southpaw is coming off of an excellent season that saw him work to a 3.06 ERA across a career-high 30 starts and 173 1/3 innings of work. He did so despite limping to the finish line as he surrendered six runs twice over his final three starts with 15 runs total allowed over 14 1/3 innings in that span. Nonetheless, Steele now sports a 3.30 career ERA across 74 appearances (63 starts) spanning 349 1/3 innings of work. His 2023 campaign also included a trip to the All-Star game and a fifth-place finish in NL Cy Young voting. Even without spectacular strikeout stuff, Steele should be a reliable fantasy option again in the 2024 season.