Cubs RHP Cade Horton to undergo elbow surgery, miss remainder of 2026 season

Cubs right-handed pitcher Cade Horton’s sophomore season is over.

It lasted only 7 1/3 innings.

He will require season-ending surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, manager Craig Counsell told reporters on Tuesday.

Horton, 24, left his second start of the regular season in Cleveland last Friday against the Guardians during the second inning after feeling discomfort radiating up his forearm from his wrist. His fastball velocity had also seen a steep decline from 96.5 mph in the first inning on Friday to 93.8 mph in the second inning. He was added to the 15-day injured list on Sunday with right forearm discomfort.

Despite initial optimism from Horton that the injury could be short-term, an MRI to discover the cause of the discomfort and its severity did not yield clean results. ESPN reported early on Tuesday morning that Horton would seek another opinion.

After debuting in May 2025, he quickly became a mainstay in the Cubs’ rotation before his post-All-Star break performance put him in contention for National League Rookie of the Year. From July 20 until he was placed on the injured list with a rib fracture last September, Horton sported a 1.03 ERA in 61 1/3 innings over 12 starts. In that stretch, he struck out 54 batters and had more starts of at least five innings pitched and two or less hits allowed (five) than home runs allowed (three).

Horton did not return following his rib fracture, which stemmed from persistent coughing, and missed the Cubs’ postseason run that ended in the National League Division Series.

Horton isn’t the only Cubs starter down at the moment. Left-hander Matt Boyd was placed on the 15-day injured list retroactive to April 3 with a left biceps strain. The club, however, believes Boyd will only require a minimum stay on the list. Meanwhile, left-hander Justin Steele, who underwent elbow surgery after suffering a season-ending injury in his fourth start last April, is making progress in his recovery and is on track to return in May.

The CHGO staff weighs in…

Patrick Norton: I don’t know if it’s necessarily time to break glass in case of emergency and push the panic button. But this is about as rough a start to the 2026 season as the Cubs could’ve imagined, between Horton being down for the year, Matt Boyd shelved for at least a couple weeks and the club with only four wins in the first ten games of the season.

Javier Assad is slated to start for the Cubs on Tuesday night. Colin Rea will slot into Horton’s spot in the rotation for now as well. But the Cubs might not be able to wait for Justin Steele’s return at the end of May for some rotation relief. And the available options aren’t bountiful two weeks into the season, either.

Former White Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito is still a free agent despite garnering interest from several clubs over the winter. Perhaps a return to Chicago makes sense for both parties.

Giolito, 31, however, would almost certainly require a ramp-up period before being able to join the major league club.

As for Horton, I’m not sure there’s a pitcher more important to the Cubs’ plans, both long-term and short. His recovery is critical to the team’s success in its window of contention.

Joey Christopoulos: Did anybody just have their baseball season flash before their very eyes?

The headline “Cade Horton: Out for the Year” will do that to you. But beyond completely crashing out, it’s important to remind ourselves that this is almost a rinse and repeat of last year.

The Horton news comes on the one-year anniversary of Justin Steele throwing seven shutout innings…and then promptly being shut down with a UCL tear in his elbow.

Can the Cubs overcome this? Of course. They won 92 games last year without Steele. Edward Cabrera is in the fold this time. The Cubs have a legit closer to begin the season. But let the What-Ifs begin on Horton’s future and what the 2026 Cubs could have accomplished with him. The offense and their all-world defense will have to carry the team until the ivy blooms in the outfield.

Life comes at you fast. The Cubs’ adjustment to this terrible news will have to come faster.