Cade Horton faces season-ending elbow surgery, sidelining the promising pitcher for 2026 and potentially beyond, impacting the Cubs' World Series aspirations.
The Chicago Cubs' rotation just took a massive hit.
Manager Craig Counsell told reporters ahead of Tuesday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays that star pitcher Cade Horton will undergo elbow surgery and miss the rest of the 2026 season.
Losing Horton for the entire year is a big loss for the Cubs. He was coming off a dominant rookie campaign in which he finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting and looked strong in his limited innings this year. The right-hander allowed only two runs across 7 ⅓ innings pitched.
Horton will now undergo elbow surgery and faces a long road to recovery back to the mound. He will miss the rest of the 2026 season and could be out for a large portion of the 2027 season as well.
How much time he misses next year will depend on the type of surgery that he undergoes.
If it's a classic Tommy John surgery, Horton will likely not return until later in the 2027 season. Somewhere around August is when we could see the right-hander back, as most pitchers miss around 15 to 18 months from this surgery.
If Horton opts for the internal brace procedure, his recovery timeline is shorter. Justin Steele went with the internal brace procedure last April after injuring his elbow and is expected to return sometime in May/June.
This will be Horton's second major elbow injury of his career. He underwent his first elbow surgery (Tommy John) in his freshman season at Oklahoma in 2021 and will undergo his second elbow surgery in his second season with the Cubs.
Horton left his start early on Friday after experiencing some forearm discomfort. The 24-year-old got checked out by team doctors in Chicago on Monday and opted for a second opinion from Dr. Keith Meister on Tuesday.
This news was inevitable after ESPN writer Jesse Rogers reported early on Tuesday morning that Horton's MRI "was not clean and not good." According to Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune, Horton has a torn UCL.
The loss of Horton no doubt dampens the Cubs' World Series chances. He was emerging as an ace in this rotation and had the potential to really take off in his first full Major League season.
Horton threw 6 1/3 innings of two-run ball with one walk and four strikeouts in his one full start this season. The North Siders will now have to find a replacement for him in the rotation for the rest of the year.
Javier Assad and Colin Rea are two potential replacements for Horton. Top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins could also be an option for the rotation later in the year, and the Cubs could look to free agency to sign a veteran like Lucas Giolito.