Justin Steele is on track to come off the IL and return to Chicago Cubs rotation during the upcoming homestand

DENVER — Left-hander Justin Steele had been optimistic when he landed on the injured list nearly two weeks ago.

Steele’s diagnosis of left elbow tendinitis was encouraging, avoiding a worst-case scenario, and kept a return before the end of the season in play. After throwing a 40-pitch bullpen Saturday afternoon at Coors Field, Steele is on track to come off the IL and start during the Chicago Cubs’ upcoming homestand against the Oakland Athletics and Washington Nationals.

Steele’s impending return won’t coincide with a magical run to the postseason. The Cubs wasted Jameson Taillion’s start — two runs in six-plus innings — Saturday night at Coors Field, putting them on the verge of being swept after a 6-5, 10-inning loss to the Rockies. Closer Porter Hodge surrendered a two-out, two-run homer in the ninth that tied the game.

The Cubs want to make sure Steele feels good and recovers well Sunday following Saturday’s big intensity test. Manager Craig Counsell reiterated: “If he’s healthy, he’s gonna pitch, that’s the bottom line.”

“We don’t have any more sort of physical kind of boxes to check here.”

Steele, who is eligible to come off the IL on Monday, anticipates having a touch-and-feel off the mound when the Cubs are back in Chicago and expects to be in game action.

“The biggest thing is just having the relief of throwing and not feeling anything, that’s just a sigh of relief, weight off my shoulders,” Steele said Saturday. “Because when you’re pitching, grinding through a season, nobody’s necessarily 100%, but when you continue to throw through something and then you finally figure out what it was, put some peace to mind, and then get it feeling right, it just feels really good to play catch again and not feel anything.”

Since missing five weeks at the beginning of the season after injuring his hamstring during his opening-day start, Steele has been the pitcher the Cubs have needed. He has lived up to last year’s breakout season when he earned his first All-Star Game honor and finished fifth in the National League Cy Young Award voting.

Through 22 starts, Steele has a 3.09 ERA and 130 ERA+. Since starting full time in 2022, the 29-year-old has provided consistency in the rotation. His 3.10 ERA in that span is tied with New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole for the eighth-best ERA while his 10.3 fWAR ranks 14th in the big leagues.

The mental side can be the toughest when dealing with an injury, but in this case, the clarity of knowing what he’s dealing with has been beneficial.

“Mentally, it’s been more freeing and just knowing I’m throwing, not feeling anything, just that freedom of not pitching around anything necessarily,” Steele said. “So as far as that kind of stuff goes, like, mentally, I’m just a lot more free playing catch. My bullpen will be more focused on doing things over the plate, not necessarily worried about how my arm’s feeling and whatnot.”

Ideally Steele would be returning to give his team a boost to the playoffs, but even with the Cubs’ season on track to end Sept. 29, shutting him down is not in the plans.

“There’s always value to be had with innings being pitched,” Steele said, “especially showing that you’re healthy and whatnot toward the end of the season going into offseason.”