Cubs recall prospect Justin Steele, place James Norwood on IL

The Cubs made a roster move prior to Sundays game bring up lefty pitching prospect Justin Steele and in a corresponding move placed RHP James Norwood on the injured list with some right shoulder inflammation retroactive to Thursday.

Steele, 25, was a fifth round pick of the Cubs in 2014 out of high school. In 2019 he finally made it to Double-A and although he struggled 5.59 ERA in 38.2 innings, his 42 strikeouts suggests there is at least something there. 

Baseball Savant describes Steeles repertoire as "His four-seam fastball sits at 92-95 mph and touches 97 with high spin rates and good life up in the strike zone. He possesses one of the best curveballs in the system, combining power and true downer action when it's on".

Bryan Smith of Bleacher Nation also mentions his hard work to add a "2700-3300 rpm slider" that could potentially be a game changer.

Steele could possibly stake a claim as the Cubs best lefty reliever right now. Rex Brothers was an absolute disaster despite the good stuff, and Kyle Ryan has seen his velocity down significantly and it clearly affected him last night.

Norwood has only thrown an inning and two thirds but has allowed three runs on four hits with a walk and zero strikeouts. Although the results haven't been good, he throws hard enough that he deserves an extended look to see what he can do at the big league level.