The Cubs reinstated Steele (back) from the restricted list Thursday.
Steele was moved to the restricted list Monday in advance of the Cubs' series in Toronto, as he was ineligible to enter Canada due to his vaccination status. When the lefty's turn in the rotation came up during the Toronto series, the Cubs replaced Steele with Luke Farrell, who covered two innings as a starter in Wednesday's 7-5 win. Though he'll be added back to the 28-man active roster now that the series in Toronto has concluded, Steele won't make a start this weekend in St. Louis, as the Cubs likely want to give him additional time to recover from the lower-back tightness he experienced in his last outing Aug. 26 in Milwaukee. If Steele is able to throw a bullpen session over the weekend without any discomfort, he's expected to be plugged back into the rotation for Tuesday's game against the Reds.