The Cubs pitching staff is receiving a boost. 

The team reinstated left-handed pitcher Justin Steele from the IL to start their series finale against the A’s. The Cubs also reinstated righty reliever Jorge López from the 10-day IL and he rejoined the team’s bullpen. To make room on the active roster for Steele and López, the team optioned righty relievers Jack Neely and Daniel Palencia. 

Both Steele and López were expected to return this week, manager Craig Counsell had said, so their activation doesn’t come as a surprise. 

Before the game, Counsell had said Steele’s outing would “be a short start, so we’re gonna cut it off at some point.” 

That demarcation line came in the 3rd inning of the Cubs’ 5-3 loss to the A’s, when Steele exited a scoreless ball game with the bases loaded, turning it over to Ethan Roberts, who escaped his jam. Steele walked 3 and struck out 1 in 2.2 innings of work while throwing 57 pitches. 

The Cubs raced out to a 3-1 lead in the 5th on RBI singles from Dansby Swanson and Seiya Suzuki and a sacrifice fly from Cody Bellinger. But the offense couldn’t muster anything after that frame — they had 2 baserunners the rest of the game, a 7th inning leadoff walk from Mike Tauchman and a 1-out walk from Nico Hoerner in the 9th. Both were out on inning-ending double plays.

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Steele’s reinsertion to the rotation is a positive development for both he and the club. He presents another strong starting option for the Cubs over the final 11 games of the season. The lefty will want to finish the season strong himself, too, because he enters an arbitration year this season — and he’s already missed over a month of action with a hamstring injury, so ending the year healthy provides a boost for him, too. 

He’s been a key starter for the Cubs this season in his 22 starts, posting a 3.09 ERA in 128 innings. Steele was scratched from his scheduled start at the beginning of the month and placed on the 15-day IL with left elbow tendinitis.

[WATCH: What Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy wants to see out of Justin Steele to close season]

López has been a revelation for Counsell and the Cubs bullpen. He was designated for assignment earlier in the year by the Mets and signed a minor league deal with the Cubs. Since joining the Cubs, he has a 2.19 ERA in 22 games for the Cubs with 2 saves and 3 holds. He had developed into one of the key leverage options for Counsell before he landed on the IL with a groin injury. 

Palencia, 24, was recalled from Iowa on Tuesday and pitched 2 innings with a pair of strikeouts in Tuesday’s 4-3 loss to the A’s. He has a 6.14 ERA in 14.2 innings across 10 outings in the big leagues. 

Neeely, 24, also pitched Tuesday, tossing a scoreless 9th inning. The rookie has struggled in his first taste of the major leagues, posting a 9.00 ERA in 6 outings. 

Right-handed pitcher Hayden Wesneski was in the Cubs clubhouse Wednesday morning. He pitched a pair of innings with Iowa on Tuesday and is expected to be activated later this week from the IL, too.