Chicago Cubs fans were expecting to see Marcus Stroman take the mound Sunday for the series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Unfortunately, it looks as if that won't be the case. The Cubs announced Sunday that Stroman has been scratched from his start. In his stead, Justin Steele will toe the rubber against the red-hot Dodgers as the Cubs look to close out the series with a win.

The Cubs didn't provide a specific reason for Stroman's absence on Sunday, though the organization did announce that he was placed on the IL as part of a series of roster moves that will also see Frank Schwindel sent down to Triple-A.

Chicago offered minimal information about Stroman's ailment, but the unspecified injury appeared to be enough to warrant a trip to the IL. It's possible Stroman was placed on the COVID-IL, considering the Cubs didn't make a corresponding roster move after placing Stroman on the IL.

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The team will likely make an official announcement regarding Stroman's status at some point in the near future, but for now consider it an undisclosed injury. The loss of Stroman, for any amount of time, is significant. The Cubs have limped out the gate to a 9-17 record this year. Losing one of their top pitchers is a big blow, so hopefully, fans will be provided with some optimistic news when the team does release an update on his IL stint.

This year, Stroman has started five games for the Cubs, recording a 5.13 ERA with 22 strikeouts across 26.1 innings. He joined the team this offseason on a three-year, $71 million deal.