Cubs’ lefty Justin Steele close to returningRussell Dorseyon June 22, 2021 at 12:27 am

Steele is 2-0 with a 2.03 ERA in 11 outings this season.

Left-hander Justin Steele had made his mark on the Cubs bullpen and was the first of the Cubs young relievers to arrive on the scene this season. A right hamstring strain while running the bases has sidelined Steele for a month, but the Cubs should be getting their young southpaw back in the near future.

Steele threw a bullpen on Sunday before the Cubs 2-0 win over the Marlins and all indications are that things went well.

“The data turned out really good,” Ross said. “He’ll throw another bullpen pretty soon. I need to talk to him first, but things are good. He’ll be off on a rehab assignment soon.”

The Cubs left-hander is 2-0 with a 2.03 ERA in 11 outings this season.

Alzolay officially activated

Right-hander Adbert Alzolay was officially activated from the injured list before his start on Monday against the Indians. Alzolay had been out since June 8 with a blister on his right middle finger.

To make room for Alzolay on the 26-man roster, left-hander Kyle Ryan was optioned to Triple-A Iowa. Ryan, who was recalled on Sunday, has a 3.38 ERA in three appearances this season.

Zobrist seeking $6 million in damages in new court case

Former Cub and 2016 World Series MVP Ben Zobrist has filed a lawsuit against a former minister and marital counselor, according to court documents. Zobrist is also seeking $6 million in damages from Byron Yawn, who is also accused in the lawsuit of defrauding Zobrist’s charity where he worked for a period of time.

Zobrist missed much of his final season with the Cubs in 2019 for personal reasons while handling what turned into very public marital issues. He returned to the team and played 47 games that season. It would be his final season in the big leagues before retiring in 2020.

According to the court filings, which were filed on May 6 in Nashville, Tenn., Zobrist claims to have lost $8 million in income due to missing four months with the Cubs.

He said it

“I find myself watching how these [managers] interact in the game. I get all worked up sometimes when the umpire might not be that great or whatever. And I watch [Terry Francona] in Cleveland. He’s just steady Eddie. There’s no yelling. He’s seen a lot of baseball games and he’s just a cool cucumber and knows what’s going on in the game and knows how to react. I’m still learning, experiencing and trying to try to navigate my way and how I do things, but I definitely have a lot of respect for him and what he’s been able to do in this game and the way the players like him and getting the most out of his teams, even shorthanded. I mean, he’s a Hall of Famer.” –Ross on Cleveland manager Terry Francona

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