Cade Horton’s season has concluded.
The promising Chicago Cubs rotation member will have an operation that will end his season, following an injury to the ulnar collateral ligament in his right arm, as stated by manager Craig Counsell on Tuesday.
Horton, who nearly won the 2025 NL Rookie of the Year accolade, impressed significantly in his initial outing of the 2026 season, yielding only two scores and a single base-on-balls through 6 and a third innings pitched versus the Washington Nationals on March 28.
Approximately seven days subsequent, on April 3, the right-armed thrower departed during the second inning of a game against the Cleveland Guardians. It was at this moment that Horton’s pitching speed decreased. He signaled for a medical staff member and subsequently departed the contest due to what was subsequently identified as a strain in his forearm.
During his conversation with journalists on Tuesday, Counsell did not disclose the precise medical intervention Horton is scheduled to receive, and the Cubs’ manager, in his third year, indicated that a precise date for the surgical procedure is still pending, as reported by MLB.com.
The Cubs chose Horton, age 24, as the seventh overall selection in the 2022 MLB Draft.
Physical ailments have persistently troubled Horton during his professional journey. As an Oklahoma freshman in 2021, he underwent Tommy John surgery. A shoulder problem arose for him in 2024, and in the previous year, he was absent from the postseason because of a rib injury.
His promise as a top player is clear, demonstrated by his remarkable debut year in the major leagues. During the 2025 season, Horton achieved an earned run average of 2.67 over 118 innings pitched. Furthermore, he delivered 29 consecutive innings without allowing a run, establishing the longest such streak for that season.
The absence of Horton represents a significant setback for a Cubs pitching roster already contending with multiple health issues.
Earlier this week, the club’s initial starter for Opening Day, Matthew Boyd, was placed on the 15-day injured reserve list because of a strain in his biceps. The southpaw Justin Steele is recuperating from an elbow operation he underwent last spring. Steele is anticipated to rejoin the major league roster within the initial half of the current season, possibly by Memorial Day, per ESPN, while Boyd’s return is reportedly projected to be even earlier. Horton, however, faces a considerably extended recovery period.
Presently, the Cubs plan to utilize Javier Assad and Colin Rea to cover the pitching innings that have become unavailable, as reported by The Athletic.
