It has been quite some time since the Chicago Cubs have seen their former ace, left-hander Justin Steele take the mound.

Steele has been sidelined since April of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Steele's progress back to the big leagues took a major step in the right direction on Wednesday as his made his first of what is expected to be multiple rehab starts with Triple-A Iowa.

Justin Steele had a mixed bag of results on Wednesday

Steele took the mound in Columbus, Ohio on Wednesday and 36 pitches later when he exited his start, it was a little bit of good and bad.

Steele pitched 1 2/3 innings, allowing four hits and three runs (one earned) with no walks and two strikeouts. Steele's average fastball velocity sat at 90.3 mph, a bit lower than his normal range of 91-92 mph.

The velocity is certainly something that may need time to be built back up. For Cubs fans, though, they were just happy to see their former ace back on the mound after such a long layoff.

Will Justin Steele have enough time to get built back up?

The Iowa Cubs have just two more series this season, meaning that at most, Steele would likely only get two more rehab starts in the minor league.

With just the 36 pitches on Wednesday, it does not seem likely that just two more starts would see a major increase in pitches thrown for Steele.

The lack of time for buildup for Steele and his pitch count will certainly play a factor into the role he will pitch in if he is able to return this season.