Texas’s Arlington After spraining his left hamstring against the Texas Rangers, left-hander Justin Steele was placed on the 15-day injured list by the Chicago Cubs on Saturday. It is anticipated that Steele will miss at least one month of action.
Right-hander Ben Brown, 24, was called up by the Cubs from Triple A Iowa. He will make his major league debut on Saturday night after making five appearances in spring training with two starts.
When Steele was hurt in the fifth inning of the Rangers’ 10 inning, 4-3 triumph against the defending World Series champions on Thursday, he had already recorded six strikeouts. On Friday, the teams had the day off.
Last season, Steele, an All-Star for the first time, lunged and fell awkwardly while fielding Leody Taveras’ sacrifice bunt. He grabbed his left hamstring as he went down in foul zone. After receiving a quick visit from an athletic trainer, Steele left his first Opening Day start.
Before implementing a rehabilitation plan, manager Craig Counsell stated that the medical staff of the squad wants Steele to walk without a limp. Although Counsell doesn’t think Steele will pitch in April, he thinks the news is positive and thinks the 28-year-old will return in May.
Last season, Steele was 16-5 with a 3.06 ERA in 30 starts and was voted fifth for the National League Cy Young Award.
For Iowa last season, Brown was 6-8 with a 5.33 ERA in 22 games, 15 of which were starts. In 2022, Brown—a 33rd-round draft choice by Philadelphia in 2017—was acquired by the Phillies in exchange for reliever David Robertson.