Despite key pitching injuries, the Cubs' rotation dominates early with a stellar ERA and strong performances, proving a surprising early-season strength.
The Chicago Cubs' pitching has been tested early on.
Opening Day starter Matthew Boyd landed on the 15-day IL due to a left bicep strain earlier this week, and No. 2 starter Cade Horton is set to undergo season-ending elbow surgery sometime next week.
Losing Horton is obviously a big loss for the Cubs. He was starting to establish himself as an ace in this rotation, and not having him the rest of the year does slightly hurt the team’s World Series chances. The right-hander tossed 6 ⅓ innings of two-run ball in his only full start this season.
Even with those early injuries to Horton and Boyd, the Cubs have had one of the best rotations in baseball to start the season. They entered the day with the third-lowest rotation ERA (2.72), the lowest batting average against on balls in play (.203), and the fewest hits allowed (35).
There were some concerns about this rotation entering the 2026 season. Many believed it would be the Cubs’ downfall this year, and those concerns remain present, especially with Horton now done for the season.
But this rotation has been the team’s strength through the first two weeks. It feels like every starter on this team is giving the Cubs a chance to win every game.
Shota Imanaga has looked like his rookie self this season. Outside of one bad pitch to Joey Wiemer in his first start, Imanaga has looked sharp. He just threw six no-hit innings with nine strikeouts in his most recent outing on Friday against the Pirates.
Edward Cabrera has looked as advertised to start his Cubs career. He has given up no runs on two hits with six walks and nine strikeouts across 11 ⅔ innings. He has been untouchable on the mound and will carry a 0.00 ERA into his next start on Saturday.
Jameson Taillon continues to do his job at the backend of the Cubs rotation. Although he struggled throughout the spring, Taillon has picked up where he left off last year. The veteran has a 2.53 ERA and seven strikeouts across his two starts.
Then, there’s Javier Assad and Colin Rea. Neither pitcher started the season in the Cubs rotation, but both pitchers posted solid numbers replacing Horton and Boyd this turn through the rotation. Assad threw 5 ⅔ shutout innings on Tuesday, and Rea followed that up by throwing five innings of one-run ball on Wednesday.
The Cubs might not have the best swing-and-miss pitchers in their rotation, but they have a group that gets the job done. Taillon, Rea, and Assad have all been notorious for giving the team a chance to win every time out.
Don’t forget, Justin Steele will also be added to this rotation in the coming months. His return will be a big boost for this Cubs team and will make this pitching staff even more dangerous.
While losing Horton does hit this rotation a bit, the Cubs have enough pitching to get them through the season. Their strong early-season numbers prove just that.