Faq
May 31: LHP Justin Steele exits early with forearm issue
Steele departed Wednesday's outing against the Rays after throwing just 29 pitches over three perfect innings for the Cubs. The team announced that the starter was lifted from the contest due to left forearm tightness. The severity of the setback was not immediately clear.
Any time missed for the 27-year-old Steele is a tough blow for a club trying to find its footing in the division race. In 12 starts this season, Steele has posted a 6-2 record with a 2.65 ERA, 58 strikeouts and 16 walks over 68 innings, in which he has limited batters to a .228 average while posting a 1.06 WHIP.
May 30: RHP Hayden Wesneski recalled from Triple-A Iowa; RHP Michael Rucker optioned to Iowa
As the Cubs continue to search for stability in their bullpen, Wesneski returned from Iowa to offer another multi-inning option. Wesneski, 25, posted a 5.03 ERA in eight starts for Chicago earlier this season, and he had a 1.00 ERA in two outings with the I-Cubs before getting the call back to the Majors.
"We're trying to get the most talented pitchers we can down there," Cubs manager David Ross said. "He's a guy that's going to go out and do him, so I don't worry about the heart rate. And he's been in the bullpen before and in big, big moments. I think long-term, we see him as a starter, but right now, just a little help down there with a group that's scuffling a little bit."
Rucker's past four outings were multi-inning efforts to help the relief corps. The righty allowed 10 runs over 8 1/3 innings in that stretch, seeing his ERA climb to 5.48 from 2.45.
Said Ross: "Him sucking down some innings for us was, one, awesome. But [we're] just giving him a little bit of a break and getting Hayden up here."