As the Cubs pitchers began to trickle out of the home clubhouse to begin their pregame work, a familiar face snuck out with the group.

Justin Steele walked out of the Cubs clubhouse with a glove swaddled underneath his armpit.

Steele was scheduled to play catch before Saturday’s 2-0 loss to the Yankees as he continues to work back from left elbow tendinitis that landed him on the 15-day IL earlier this week.

The Cubs still expect both Steele and reliever Jorge López to pitch for them again this year, even if it makes things difficult for them in the present.

“I mean the news, obviously, was positive on the MRI,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “The thought right now as we sit here today is that he’ll come back. Of course, we’ll audible if there’s any reason. We’re not going to do anything that we feel like we would put him in any kind of risk or anything.

“And if there’s a setback, or just, even just a slowness of healing, then I think that would be on the table. But I don’t think that’s what we’re thinking now.”

Saturday was a nice step for Steele. The Cubs hope it’s a minimum IL stint for their ace and, if he feels well Sunday after throwing, that could be a good sign towards a quick return. In the meantime, Jordan Wicks and Kyle Hendricks have slotted into the Cubs rotation. Wicks was activated off the IL when rosters expanded in September and has allowed 4 earned runs in 10 innings across 2 starts.

Hendricks made Steele’s start on Tuesday against the Pirates and was solid, allowing a pair of runs in 5 innings. He’ll continue to take Steele’s spot in the rotation while the lefty is out and is lining up to pitch Monday in Los Angeles.

In the cases of López and Julian Merryweather (who was placed on the IL late in August with right knee tendinitis), they’re working their way back. But with the timing of the season and the Cubs’ playoff hopes fading, if there’s any setback in their recovery, it’s possible they would be shut down for the season.

“It’s gonna be challenging,” Hoyer said. “And I think losing Merryweather and López for this period, and then obviously losing Steele, is going to be challenging.

“No one’s gonna feel bad for us. We just have to figure that part out.”

For the bullpen group, it’s an opportunity to see how younger or less experienced pitchers fare in new environments. Porter Hodge, for example, was called up sooner than even the Cubs would have hoped for. But he’s developed into the Cubs’ de facto closer and a pleasant surprise for the team this season.

The hope is the last few weeks of the season allow other relievers to settle into that role, too.

“I think when you look up, whether it’s Porter, Luke Little, López, Tyson Miller — Drew [Smyly’s] had a really good year — all those guys have stepped up,” Hoyer said. “It looks very different than you would have thought on Opening Day. But for really, at this point, the majority of the season’s been effective.

“That’s, that’s just the nature of the game. We have to put guys in different roles and adjust.”