It's been over 500 days since Chicago Cubs left-hander Justin Steele threw a pitch in the major leagues. On that day, Steele tossed seven shutout innings against the Texas Rangers in a Cubs win.

The next day, though, something didn't feel right for Steele, and it ultimately led to Tommy John surgery. Steele suffered a setback earlier this season in his recovery that further prolonged his return.

Steele has now progressed well, and he gave a promising update on Monday as to when he could be back on the mound.

Justin Steele is two bullpens away from a rehab assignment

Steele joined his teammates in Arizona ahead of their series against the Arizona Diamondbacks and revealed that he is extremely close to his first rehab assignment.

According to Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network, Steele told reporters that he has live BP sessions scheduled for Tuesday and Friday, and if all goes according to plan with those, he'll then begin his first rehab assignment.

Getting Steele back would be huge for the Cubs down the stretch

Chicago has struggled with consistent good pitching throughout the season, so being able to get Steele and his career 3.30 ERA back in the mix would be a major boost.

It's not really known what role Steele would serve if he is able to return, but it's safe to assume the Cubs would take whatever production they could from their former ace.

Could Steele be a factor in the postseason?

Barring a major collapse over their final 30 games, the Cubs will make the playoffs for a second consecutive season. Not only could Steele be impactful in the regular season, but there's also a chance he could be a huge factor in the postseason.

Steele will likely still be on the 60-day injured list on Sept. 1, meaning he meets one of the requirements to be on any of Chicago's postseason rosters.

If Steele is able to return and produce in the regular season, he may very well become an X-factor and a crucial part of the Cubs' attempt to make a deep postseason run for the first time since 2017.