Cubs ace Justin Steele is chomping at the bit to get back on a mound

No one is more anxious for Chicago Cubs pitcher Justin Steele to get to throwing than he is. That makes sense, considering he's spent most of the summer returning from his second major elbow surgery. It's not exactly another Tommy John operation, but it is a serious-enough UCL repair that he'll be sidelined through at least the start of spring training next year.

While it appears he's handled being out of action while his team makes a charge toward the postseason quite well, he wants everyone to understand that he'd much rather be pitching than waiting around until he can.

During an appearance on an episode of the Marquee Sports Network program Foul Territory, Steele made it extremely clear how badly he wants to start working his way back. He even admitted that he's become a bit of a pest about the whole thing.

Justin Steele eager to start throwing as Cubs monitor UCL rehab

"I mean, yeah, jokingly every day, I'm like, 'Throwing Monday?' I'm throwing next Monday, right? And everybody just kind of laughs at it and stuff," the Chicago Cubs' ace said. "But, I mean, I'm working my tail off. I mean, the first Tommy John I had in 2017, I was back in game action at like seven and a half, eight months, was back in at affiliate in nine or ten months. So, I mean, when it comes to rehab, I work really hard at this stuff and want to be back playing with the team."

The hurler admitted that part of his desire is to get back with the team because they are indeed looking like the favorites to win the NL Central. Deep down in his heart, he also knows that he won't be back this year no matter what he does. However, he'd love to be back in time to kick off the 2026 season correctly.

Steele obviously didn't look right on the mound when he did pitch this year, logging a career high 4.76 ERA in 22 2/3 innings before getting shut down in mid-April. A return to full health is imperative, both for Steele and the Cubs, seeing as the southpaw recorded a 3.10 ERA in 427 innings between 2022-24.

Steele said that, while he's twitchy about returning, everything is "going great" for the Cubs starter. And for now, that's about as good a piece of news as we can hope for.