Chicago Cubs pitcher Cade Horton has damage to the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow that requires season-ending surgery, manager Craig Counsell announced. The 24-year-old exited his start last Friday in Cleveland due to forearm discomfort and was placed on the injured list Sunday. Horton will not pitch again until 2027.
ST. PETERSBURG -- Counsell shared the update before Tuesday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. He did not detail the procedure, damage extent or surgery timeline, but confirmed the top prospect's absence for the year after just 7 1/3 innings pitched this season. Horton looked strong in his March 28 opener against Washington, allowing two runs over 6 1/3 innings, but managed only 17 pitches Friday as his fastball velocity dropped sharply. “First of all, you feel for Cade,” Counsell said. “These things get thrown in front of you that are big, and processing it on a day like today for Cade is really hard because you just start to look at what's ahead of you. There are a lot of long days of monotonous work ahead of you.” Last year, Horton went 11-4 with a 2.67 ERA in 23 games (22 starts) for the Cubs and finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting to Atlanta's Drake Baldwin. The rotation faces other challenges: opener Matthew Boyd is on the IL with a biceps strain, filled Tuesday by Javier Assad, while Justin Steele recovers from last April's elbow surgery and targets a first-half return. “I think that is a positive we have coming, regardless of Cade’s state here,” Counsell said of Steele. “Cade is wired to be successful here, because it’s just who he is. And he will be successful at it. We're going to miss him this year, but we know he'll be back.”