Fantasy baseball buzz: Justin Steele and all you need to know for Monday

Everything that happens in and around MLB has some additional context when viewed from a fantasy baseball perspective. From lineup changes to minor league call-ups to injuries and so much more, the news cycle will constantly affect player values in fantasy baseball.

Our fantasy baseball buzz file, with contributions from our ESPN fantasy writers, aims to provide fantasy managers with the intel they need as news breaks around MLB.

Key links: RP depth chart

April 14: Justin Steele done for the year

Stephania Bell: It turns out the episode of forearm soreness that Steele experienced in late 2024 was an indicator of things to come, as his 2025 season has come to an abrupt conclusion. He went from being placed on the 15-day IL after feeling discomfort in his last start to preparing to undergo surgery Friday on his left elbow to repair a torn flexor tendon and address any associated injury to the UCL, per Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell.

Dr. Keith Meister will perform the surgery and will decide during the procedure what the extent will be, specifically whether the UCL requires a repair or a full reconstruction. Since Steele underwent Tommy John surgery originally in 2017 while in the minor leagues, a second such reconstructive procedure -- should it be required -- would be classified as a revision.

His case is illustrative of the scenario for so many pitchers: stress on the medial (inner) elbow from repeated throwing places all structures that reinforce that side under major stress. The flexor tendon (which is the attachment point to the elbow for the flexor-pronator muscle group, the muscles responsible for flexing the wrist, rotating the forearm and, most importantly for pitchers, controlling grip) is often injured in association with the UCL.

Especially in an athlete who has undergone prior elbow surgery, imaging may not provide a complete picture, as the tissues involved are already altered and the presence of swelling may further cloud the issue. The surgeon also needs to visually inspect the graft construct in the operating room to assess the tissue quality and extent of damage in order to determine what makes the most sense from a surgical repair standpoint.

Even if Steele were to undergo a repair with InternalBrace, the fact that this is Steele's second major elbow surgery (combined with the addition of the flexor tendon repair) warrants a bit more caution during the rehab process. While a better projection of a timeline will emerge after surgery is complete, the successful return of pitchers following a second major elbow surgery in recent years tells us that revision procedures are improving and there is reason to be optimistic that Steele will be able to make it back.

April 14: What you need to know for Monday

Todd Zola: Monday's 10-game slate gets underway at 6:40 p.m. ET with Brad Lord and the Washington Nationals visiting Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Apr 13: What you need to know for Sunday

Sunday's 15-game slate gets underway at 1:35 PM ET with a pair of contests, to be followed by four more games five minutes later. The ESPN Sunday night affair features the Chicago Cubs visiting the Los Angeles Dodgers.