Manager David Ross said Tuesday that Steele and Keegan Thompson will be the primary competitors for the fifth and final spot in the Cubs' Opening Day rotation, Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago reports.
Ross left the door open for the Cubs to add another starting pitcher or two via trade or free agency before the start of the season, but for now, the club is looking internally to fill the void in the rotation created by the injury to Adbert Alzolay (lat), who is expected to miss at least two months. Both Steele and Thompson saw most of their initial appearances with the big club last season as relievers, but the two got the chance to pick up regular starts in the second half while the non-contending Cubs shifted into evaluation mode. Over his nine starts in 2021, Steele posted a 4.95 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 38:20 while coughing up 10 home runs over 43.2 innings.