John Antonoff / For the Sun-Times
MESA, Ariz. – Cubs left-hander Justin Steele was scheduled to start Thursday evening against the Royals, but when he came down with what the team called flu-like symptoms, the Cubs decided to scratch him from the starting lineup. Right-hander Ben Brown got the start instead.
The decision came down to both allowing Steele to recover and keeping him from spreading the illness to his teammates, according to bench coach Ryan Flaherty.
“It shouldn’t change his outcome for his status in Japan, for sure,” Flaherty said.
Steele is expected to pitch once more before the team leaves for Tokyo next Tuesday, bringing his total to three spring starts.