ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Cade Horton’s 2026 season has come to an abrupt end after medical imaging revealed damage to the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing arm, team manager Craig Counsell announced Tuesday.
“Cade is gonna have surgery,” Counsell told reporters prior to Chicago’s matchup with Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field. “He’s gonna miss the rest of the year.”
Medical professionals have yet to decide whether Horton will require complete Tommy John reconstruction or a less invasive internal brace procedure. The 24-year-old visited respected elbow surgeon Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday for consultation. Officials have not scheduled the operation.
The diagnosis validates concerns that arose when Horton departed the mound during Chicago’s April 3 contest in Cleveland after throwing only 17 pitches. His fastball velocity declined from 96 mph in the opening frame to 93.8 mph on his final delivery before signaling to the dugout.
This represents Horton’s second major elbow procedure, having undergone Tommy John surgery during his freshman year at Oklahoma in 2021. Selected seventh overall in the 2022 amateur draft, the right-hander emerged as a key contributor last season, compiling an 11-4 record with a 2.67 earned run average across 118 innings pitched. His outstanding rookie campaign earned him second place in National League Rookie of the Year balloting. Just one week before his injury, Horton limited Washington to two earned runs over 6 1/3 innings in his 2026 season opener.
The setback creates additional challenges for Chicago, which is already operating without top starter Justin Steele, who remains sidelined following his own UCL procedure and isn’t anticipated to return until late May at the earliest. With Matthew Boyd also unavailable due to injury, the Cubs will rely heavily on Colin Rea and Javier Assad to anchor their starting rotation. Rea demonstrated his capability in a similar expanded role last season, recording a 3.95 ERA over 27 starts after Steele’s injury.
“Colin’s going to be asked to pitch more innings out of the bullpen, and then somebody’s going to take Colin’s bullpen innings,” Counsell explained. “That’s how it’s going to be addressed on paper. But it’s not all on Colin. … We all have to just do our part.”
