Chicago Cubs pitcher Cade Horton threw two pitches to the Cleveland Guardians’ Bo Naylor in the second inning April 3. The second was a fastball clocked at 93.8 mph. Horton immediately motioned to the dugout and exited the game with manager Craig Counsell and an athletic trainer, his future suddenly in doubt.
Later in the day, the Cubs announced a grim diagnosis for Horton: right forearm discomfort.
Cade Horton exited today’s game with right forearm discomfort. #Cubs
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 3, 2026
According to Marquee field reporter Taylor McGregor, Horton had tears in his eyes as he headed to the clubhouse — never good news as Horton and the team look to avoid the worst-case scenario.
That’s awful. Tears in his eyes as he heads to the clubhouse per Taylor McGregor. #CadeHorton.
— David Kaplan (@thekapman) April 3, 2026
The worst case, of course, is that the discomfort in Horton’s forearm would require season-ending surgery.
Traditional Tommy John surgery carries a 12- to 18-month timetable for recovery, which could potentially rule Horton out for much of the 2027 season as well.
MORE: Former Cubs World Series champion retires from MLB at 36
Horton, 24, was making his second start of the 2026 regular season after allowing two runs over 6.1 innings in his debut.
The right-hander, the seventh overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, went 11-4 with a 2.67 ERA in 23 games (22 starts) as a rookie in 2025. He finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting.
The Cubs were counting on Horton taking the next step in his career as they look to unseat the Milwaukee Brewers as champions of the National League Central.
Now, they’ll need to tap into their reserves to fill out their starting rotation for the short term — if not the rest of the season.
MORE: Cubs cut prospect with .333 average three days before Opening Day
The Cubs have Javier Assad at Triple-A Iowa; the 28-year-old right-hander made seven major league starts last year and went 4-1 with a 3.65 ERA.
But they also have lost two of their top starters, left-handers Justin Steele and Justin Wicks, to the injured list before the season began. Steele is still recovering from Tommy John surgery and isn’t expected back until midseason.
Wicks, the Cubs’ first-round draft pick in 2021 (21st overall), is 6-6 with a 5.21 ERA in 17 career starts from 2023-25.
