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  "path": "/cubs/2026/03/13/cubs-justin-steele-throws-to-hitters-for-first-time-since-elbow-surgery-very-productive-day",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-13T21:05:13.733Z",
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  "textContent": "<p>MESA, Ariz. — When <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs\" >Cubs</a> left-hander <b>Justin Steele</b> took the Sloan Park mound for his first live batting practice session since undergoing elbow surgery last April, he had an audience.</p><p>Fellow pitchers <b>Cade Horton</b>, <b>Matthew Boyd</b>, <b>Jordan Wicks</b> and <b>Gavin Hollowell</b> sat in the stands behind the plate. Steele’s wife Libby and son Beau looked on from a little ways up the first base side. First baseman <b>Michael Busch</b>, who faced Steele in the session, congratulated him on the milestone.</p><p>“I’ve worked really hard to come back as fast as I could and as strong as I could,\" Steele said after throwing Friday. \"It means a lot coming from someone like Buschy. He’s been around me for a good amount of time now. He’s seen me through ups and downs. It means a lot coming from a close friend. It was really cool to see all my teammates and coaches come out to watch.”</p><p>Steele threw about 20 pitches against Busch and first baseman <b>Jonathon Long</b>, adding up to five at-bats. The southpaw recorded three strikeouts in a row, followed by a pair of fly balls to right-center field.</p><p>“It's a long time not competing,” pitching coach <b>Tommy Hottovy</b> said. “And for a guy like Justin, who's an uber-competitor, that's what you live for. You live for being able to go out and compete against somebody else. He's been competing as himself for the last [11] months. So it's a fun opportunity and fun experience to be there.”</p><p>Steele has been targeting May or June for his return to a major-league mound and remains on track.</p><p>The rehab process is familiar to Steele, who also underwent Tommy John surgery in 2017 as a minor-leaguer. The procedure last April was a little less intensive, just reinforcing the ulnar collateral ligament with an internal brace, instead of fully reconstructing it.</p><p>“My first Tommy John … there was a lot more anxiety and build-up to facing hitters,” Steele said. “With this one, it’s kind of been smooth sailing as far as the rehab process has been going. As soon as I started throwing bullpens, I was kind of like, ‘I feel like I could face hitters right now.’ It was a very similar feeling as to what it was before the surgery, so there wasn’t really an adjustment period of it.”</p><p>Steele still has more milestones to go, including his first time pitching in competition, and building up to a starter’s workload.</p><p>“Very productive day,” Hottovy said. “It went as well as he could have wanted and hoped for it to go. And now it's just continuing to build off every outing, every live BP and making sure we don't try to get too far ahead of ourselves.”</p><h3>Opening Day excitement </h3><p>Steele, who was the Cubs’ <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/09/justin-steele-chicago-cubs-opening-day-starter-craig-counsell-texas-rangers\" >2024 Opening Day starter,</a> congratulated <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2026/03/12/cubs-name-matthew-boyd-opening-day-starter-as-he-returns-from-team-usa-wbc\" ><b>Matthew Boyd</b> Thursday on getting the nod against the Nationals</a> in two weeks.</p><p>“It couldn’t happen to a better person,” Steele said. “As soon as Boyd came over to our team, just an immediate breath of fresh air. Super genuine guy, super nice, one of the better humans I’ve met in this game. There’s just nobody that’s more deserving than him.”</p><h3>Schedule change</h3><p>The Cubs announced that they're pushing back first pitch for their split squad games next Friday in the face of an extreme heat forecast.</p><p>Originally scheduled to be afternoon games, the Cubs’ contests against the Reds at Sloan Park and against the Athletics at Hohokam Stadium have been rescheduled to 8:05 and 8:10 p.m. CT, respectively.</p><p>Temperatures next Friday are expected to reach 104 degrees in Mesa.</p><p></p><bsp-listcarousel class=\"PageListE\" data-module data-column-count=3 data-hide-authors=\"true\" data-hide-categories=\"true\" data-hide-dates=\"true\" data-hide-descriptions=\"true\" data-show-loadmore=\"true\" ><a class=\"AnchorLink\" id=\"list-c90005\" name=\"list-c90005\"></a><div class=\"PageList-header\" > <div class=\"PageList-header-title-wrap\" > <div class=\"PageList-header-title\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs\" target=\"{borderColor=#dfdfdf, 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category=[{items=[Cubs]}], wordCount=689, ampLink=null, url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2026/03/12/cubs-name-matthew-boyd-opening-day-starter-as-he-returns-from-team-usa-wbc, audio=[], audioDuration=null, _template=/page/promo/PagePromo.hbs}, {type=Image, categoryUrl=https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs, timestamp=1773267896000, anchorId=promo-9d0002, _styledTemplate=null, media=[{alt=2026 World Baseball Classic - Pool B - Italy v United States, ampLink=null, _styledTemplate=null, _template=/image/Image.hbs, image={src=https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/4d/3d/fd6cbd2746c4a1bead016f0f7264/2265876595.jpg, width=4093, height=2729}, narrowImage={src=https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/4d/3d/fd6cbd2746c4a1bead016f0f7264/2265876595.jpg, width=4093, height=2729}}], imageAlignment=null, title=How small details laid the groundwork for Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong's Team USA heroics, isFeatured=false, wordCount=591, category=[{items=[Cubs]}], target=null, description=[{items=[Crow-Armstrong was the driving force behind Team USA’s comeback attempt against Italy in World Baseball Classic pool play Tuesday.]}], primaryMediaType=null, ampLink=null, publishDate=March 11, 2026 05:24 PM, authors=[{authorPageUrl=https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/maddie-lee, name=[{items=[Maddie Lee]}], ampLink=null, _styledTemplate=null, _template=/author/byline/AuthorByline.hbs, jobTitle=[{items=[Chicago Cubs reporter]}], bio=[], media=[]}], url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2026/03/11/how-small-details-laid-the-groundwork-for-cubs-center-fielder-pete-crow-armstrongs-team-usa-heroics, audio=[], audioDuration=null, _template=/page/promo/PagePromo.hbs}], linkHoverColor=#d3242c, buttonBgColor=#d3242c, ctaTarget=null, suppressPagination=false, promoButtonText=null, backgroundColor=null, headerSecondaryTextColor=#ffffff, anchorId=list-c90005, listTitleFont=font-2, headlineFont=font-1, promoDescriptionFont=font-3, primaryColor=#d3242c, slimFooter=false, hideHeadline=false, hideDates=true, 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src=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/1fd785d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3230x2162+12+0/resize/490x328!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fa1%2F60%2Ff35d8d8740989cdc50f173c94c0d%2F2265693569-1.jpg\"> </picture> </a></div> <div class=\"PagePromoB-content\"> <div class=\"PagePromo-category\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs\" >Cubs</a> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-title\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2026/03/12/cubs-name-matthew-boyd-opening-day-starter-as-he-returns-from-team-usa-wbc\" >Cubs name Matthew Boyd Opening Day starter as he returns from Team USA</a> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-description\">Boyd is set to make the third Opening Day start of his career but his first in a full-capacity stadium.</div> <div class=\"PagePromo-byline\"><div class=\"PagePromo-date\"> <bsp-timestamp data-timestamp=1773341301000 data-promo=\"true\"> <template 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  "title": "Cubs' Justin Steele throws to hitters for first time since elbow surgery: 'Very productive day'",
  "updatedAt": "2026-03-13T21:26:48.208Z"
}