Justin Steele to return to the Cubs rotation for Wednesday’s game against the A’s

CHICAGO (AP) — Justin Steele is going to rejoin the rotation for the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday against Oakland.

Steele, Chicago’s opening-day starter, has been on the 15-day injured list since Sept. 1 with left elbow tendinitis. He is 5-5 with a 3.09 ERA in 22 starts this season.

The 29-year-old Steele had a bullpen session on Saturday.

The Cubs had a 77-73 record going into Tuesday night’s game against Oakland. They were five games behind the New York Mets for the final NL wild card with 12 games remaining.

Right-hander Daniel Palencia was recalled from Triple-A Iowa before the matchup with the A’s, and righty Trey Wingenter was sent down.

Steele last pitched on Aug. 27 at Pittsburgh, allowing two runs in five innings in a 9-5 victory over the Pirates.

He had a breakout 2023 season, making the NL All-Star team while going 16-5 with a 3.06 ERA in 30 starts. He also struck out 176 in 173 1/3 innings.

Steele strained his left hamstring during his season-opening start at Texas on March 28. He didn’t return until May 6 and scuffled for several weeks before getting on track.

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