The Chicago Cubs will have to navigate the rest of the 2025 season without their ace Justin Steele.
After initially being diagnosed with tendinitis in his throwing elbow, he got a second opinion that revealed he needed UCL reconstruction surgery. Thankfully, he didn't need to undergo a full Tommy John procedure, so his timeline to return is now shorter than it would have been otherwise.
Steele wasn't the only Cubs pitcher who was placed on the injured list, though.
Eli Morgan, the reliever who was acquired in a trade this past winter, is on the shelf with his own elbow injury. And according to Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network, he is now getting second opinions after undergoing an MRI.
Naturally, there is some concern regarding this situation based on what Steele's second opinion revealed.
Morgan was brought in to bolster Chicago's relief staff since their poor showings the past two years has cost the team multiple games during that time and played a huge part in them missing the playoffs.
Coming off the best season of his career with a 1.93 ERA across his 32 outings, he has not performed at that level with a 12.27 ERA in seven appearances before the Cubs put him on the 15-day IL.
While Morgan hasn't performed at his best in Chicago, he was expected to be a major contributor out of the bullpen throughout the season.
Not having him as an option would be another tough blow for this pitching staff.
Hopefully the second opinion for Morgan doesn't end up in the same way it did for Steele.
