Cubs have an obvious replacement for Justin Steele they hopefully won't have to use

The Chicago Cubs entered Monday's series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates playing as well as they have all season. They had won six in a row, eight of their last 10, and each of their previous five series before what they hoped would be another win against a free-falling Pirates team.

Unfortunately, Cubs fans had to deal with yet another bullpen meltdown even without Hector Neris, as a late-game 3-0 lead turned out to be a 5-3 loss. Seven shutout innings from Jameson Taillon were wasted, and their push to make an unlikely postseason appearance became that much harder.

As if Monday's loss wasn't damaging enough, Craig Counsell revealed the worst possible news after the game. Chicago's probable starter for Tuesday's game, Justin Steele, was scratched due to elbow soreness. The Cubs hope that they caught a potential injury early and that this will be soreness that can later be forgotten about, but as of this writing, that's unclear.

We don't know when, or even if Steele can return in 2024. What we do know, though, is that the Cubs need to think about a potential Steele replacement. Fortunately, they have a rather obvious one, as Jordan Wicks was recently activated off of the IL and can easily slide into Steele's spot in the rotation.

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Cubs hope to not have to use obvious Justin Steele replacement

Obviously, the Cubs hope that Steele just needs a couple days of rest and then will be ready to take the ball. When healthy, he's not only the ace of the staff, but he's one of the best pitchers in the National League. He was an All-Star last season, has a 3.02 ERA in 22 starts this season, and allowed two earned runs or fewer in all five of his August starts.

Replacing Steele is impossible, especially after the trade deadline, but the Cubs can feel somewhat comfortable knowing that Wicks is back from his IL stint and is able to fill in if needed. The southpaw has a 3.82 ERA in eight appearances (seven starts) this season and threw five innings of one-run ball in his return from the IL to begin September.

For now, the Cubs can afford to give Steele a couple of days of rest before deciding on his status. Kyle Hendricks will start Tuesday's game, and Shota Imanaga is slated to take the ball for Wednesday's series finale. The team will then enjoy a much-needed off-day on Thursday.

Hopefully by the weekend, Steele will feel better and will be able to take the ball. If not, the Cubs have a capable starting pitcher who is obviously not Steele, but can put them in a position to win games, which at this point of the season is all the Cubs need.