Cade Horton faces a lengthy recovery after his second Tommy John surgery, impacting the Cubs' rotation and his promising career trajectory.
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Cade Horton officially underwent elbow surgery on Thursday.
While we didn’t know the full extent of what type of surgery Horton would have when his injury first occurred, we now know that Horton underwent full Tommy John surgery.
It appears that Horton needed a full ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction, which is why Tommy John surgery came into play. Sadly, this means his recovery will take much longer.
Tommy John surgery is a long recovery for all pitchers. New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole is still working his way back from Tommy John surgery last March, and Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Corbin Burnes is still months away from returning after undergoing elbow surgery last June.
Although both of those pitchers are expected to return just 13-15 months after their Tommy John surgeries, the expectation is that Horton’s recovery timeline will be a bit longer.
Since this is the second Tommy John surgery of his career, the recovery timeline is always longer the second time around. Horton underwent his first Tommy John surgery back in his freshman season at Oklahoma in 2021.
Therefore, the Cubs estimate Horton’s return timeline at around 15-16 months. That early timeline puts the 24-year-old on track to return sometime between July and August of next season.
Now, it’s still too early to assume that Horton will definitely be back around the All-Star break next season. He has a long road to recovery ahead, and the Cubs are going to be extremely careful with their young pitcher in this process.
This was obviously the worst-case scenario for both the Cubs and Horton. He will not only miss the rest of the 2026 season but will also be out for a large portion of the 2027 season. That puts the rotation in a tough spot for the next 15-16 months.
There is simply no replacing Horton on the mound. He was emerging as an ace in the rotation and was coming off an incredible rookie season in which he finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting.
His injury also puts the Cubs in a weird spot next season. With Horton out through the first half and Jameson Taillon, Shota Imanaga, and Matthew Boyd all free agents after this year, the front office will need to sign multiple pitchers next offseason.
Losing Horton for the next 15-16 months is a major loss for the Cubs. Hopefully, he comes back stronger and returns to his dominant form on the mound.