Chicago Cubs pitcher Justin Steele will undergo season-ending surgery to repair the flexor tendon in his left elbow, manager Craig Counsell told reporters Sunday.

It was unclear whether Steele, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2017, will need another full ligament-replacement procedure or a Tommy John revision with an internal brace. The 29-year-old left-hander will be sidelined until 2026.

“On a day like this, you feel for Justin,” Counsell said before Sunday’s series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers. “It’s kind of the life of a major league pitcher, these injuries that make you miss most of seasons.

“But I talked to him this morning, and he has a great attitude about it, as he always does. He knows that it’s part of the career he’s chosen, and he’s going to take it a step at a time and do the best he can to come back even better.”

Steele was placed on the injured list last week after feeling discomfort in his elbow following his last start. He threw seven shutout innings against the Texas Rangers on Monday but still felt pain after arriving at the stadium the next day for treatment.

He was 3-1 with a 4.76 ERA in four starts before going down.

Steele has had a history of minor elbow problems over the past couple of seasons, spending time on the injured list in each of them, including late last year before returning for two September outings. He started the second game of the season for the Cubs against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Japan last month.

Overall, Steele is 32-22 with a 3.30 ERA in 91 career starts, all with the Cubs.

The injury opens a huge hole in the team’s rotation. Long reliever Colin Rea will take Steele’s place in the rotation on Sunday night.

Counsell said right-hander Javier Assad, who will begin a minor league rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, will be a candidate to fill Steele’s spot when he returns from a left oblique strain. The team has several other in-house candidates who could also get a look, including lefty Jordan Wicks and righty Cade Horton.

Horton is one of the Cubs’ top prospects but is still working back from an injury that kept him out of action last year. The team could also look to a possible trade, as Miami Marlins righty Sandy Alcantara is likely to be on the market this summer.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins unveiled a bronze statue of Hall of Fame catcher Joe Mauer at Target Field before Sunday’s game against the Detroit Tigers.

Mauer spoke as the statue was unveiled outside a gate beyond right field. He joined Rod Carew, Harmon Killebrew, Kirby Puckett, Tony Oliva, Kent Hrbek, manager Tom Kelly and owners Carl and Eloise Pohlad with a statue outside the ballpark.

Designed by Minnesota artist Bill Mack, the statue is just over eight feet tall and weighs more than 800 pounds.

Mauer batted .306 with 143 homers and 906 RBIs with Minnesota from 2004-18. He was voted to baseball’s Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 2024.

“Obviously, it was a big summer last year, going into Cooperstown — that was just an unbelievable experience. But to see myself here, this isn’t going to be moving for a long time,” Mauer said. “Here in my home state of Minnesota, I was always proud to put on this uniform, to play for this club, and to go out there and try to win every night with my teammates.”

The first overall pick in the 2001 amateur draft, Mauer played 15 seasons for his hometown club. He won three American League batting titles, was voted the 2009 AL MVP, was picked for six All-Star Games and earned three Gold Gloves. A severe concussion late in the 2013 season led to a move to first base in 2014.

NEW YORK — Yankees pitcher Marcus Stroman had a cortisone shot to treat swelling in his inflamed left knee.

Stroman went to a hospital for scans after the 33-year right-hander mentioned pain to the team following Friday’s start, when he allowed five runs and got two outs in a rainy 9-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants.

“The MRI was good, but he had some swelling in there somewhere,” manager Aaron Boone said Sunday. “So try to eliminate that, hopefully get him ramped up pretty quick and, hopefully, something that really helps him move it forward.”

Stroman was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday, one day after throwing 46 pitches in steady rain. Boone said he did not know how much time Stroman will miss but hoped his absence would be short-term. Boone said he was uncertain if pitching in rain contributed to the knee issue.

“I’m not even sure,” Boone said. “Even watching the video, watching how [he was] not finishing properly on his front leg and I think that was due to the knee.”

Stroman is 0-1 with an 11.57 ERA in three starts after allowing a three-run homer to Jung Hoo Lee and a two-run double to LaMonte Wade Jr. in his shortest career start that was not interrupted by rain.

Stroman turns 34 on May 1 and is in the second season of a two-year contract guaranteeing $37 million. The right-hander’s deal includes a $16 million conditional player option for 2026 that could be exercised if he pitches in at least 140 innings this year.

Last season, Stroman was 10-9 with a 4.31 ERA in 30 games (29 starts) when he threw 154 2/3 innings, his most since 2021 with the Mets. Stroman struggled in the second half and did not pitch in the postseason, when the Yankees made their first World Series appearance since 2009.