Doomsday scenario is upon us with an ominous Justin Steele rehab update

Just make it stop.

Cade Horton won't pitch until mid-to-late 2027, at the earliest, the bullpen is in absolute tatters and the one glimmer of hope, the spark keeping us all going could be on the brink of being snuffed out.

According to manager Craig Counsell, Chicago Cubs left-hander Justin Steele is dealing with a flexor strain and will be re-evaluated in a month, marking a major setback in his road back from UCL surgery last spring - and the team, according to 670 The Score, can't rule out this being something serious at this point.

With an initial prospective target of returning to the big-league club of late May/early June, this setback means the Cubs, in all likelihood, have a minimum of another 6-8 weeks (even in an absolute best-case scenario) before Steele could rejoin the rotation. After weeks of watching one pitching injury after another pile up, this one feels like the one that brings the whole pile down - and if it ends up being something serious, would have major implications on the team's hopes in 2026.

Shocking Justin Steele update could upend the Cubs' 2026 season

This is the first negative update we've gotten on Steele's rehab. All signs have been positive and we had every reason to believe the gritty left-hander would give the short-handed pitching staff a major boost around Memorial Day. Now, we wait with bated breath, hoping and praying the Cubs manage to avoid a worst-case scenario.

Steele hasn't pitched since last April and was already going to be managed carefully upon his return, with the hope he was at full-strength come late-summer. But now, it's hard to envision Chicago doing anything other than trying to keep him on a short leash. Again, normally, I'm a pretty level-headed fan, but the sheer volume of injuries on this staff is unlike anything I've ever seen.

Chicago recently passed on signing Lucas Giolito, who inked a $3 million deal with San Diego, expecting Steele to be a factor sooner rather than later. Now, that decision could come back to haunt Jed Hoyer, who may head into another trade deadline with limited prospect capital and a major need in his rotation.

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