Cubs fearing worst-case injury situation for Cade Horton and must find answers

The Chicago Cubs are preparing for the worst-case scenario for Cade Horton's injury. ESPN's Jesse Rogers reports that initial imaging done on Horton's injury has the team preparing to be without Horton for a significant portion of the 2026 season.

Revealing the news on Tuesday morning, Rogers confirmed that Horton is seeing an additional specialist in Texas. Referring back to the injury Justin Steele had last season, the indication is that the Cubs are determining the best course of action to move forward. A second Tommy John surgery hasn't been ruled out for Horton, or he could have reconstructive surgery like Steele did last year. In any event, the expectation is that Horton may have pitched his final game for the Cubs this season.

Cade Horton's injury reveal leaves a massive void in the Chicago Cubs' starting rotation

Horton was pulled from his start against the Cleveland Guardians last Friday after just 17 pitches. After the game, he revealed that the discomfort started in his wrist before moving up to his forearm. While the Cubs were initially expressing optimism, the circumstances surrounding the injury certainly didn't look good. As was the case with Steele last year, the optimism quickly turned into panic once the initial MRI was completed.

With Matthew Boyd also on the IL, the Cubs will lean on Javier Assad and Colin Rea in the rotation for the next couple of weeks. The return of Justin Steele is now amplified, considering the void that is now Horton's vacant spot in the rotation.

At least temporarily, the Cubs have pitching depth to get them through the early months of the season. Between Assad, Rea, and Ben Brown, the Cubs have options to plug into the rotation until Steele returns at the end of May. From there, it's hard to imagine that Jed Hoyer and Co. won't be in the market for a starting pitcher at the trade deadline.

The goal of the offseason for the Cubs' front office was to construct a starting rotation that had at least four starting pitchers capable of starting in a playoff series. That was the motivation behind their trade for Edward Cabrera, beyond the fact that he was also under team control for multiple seasons. With Horton now angling toward being out for the rest of the season, the Cubs will need to go back to the drawing board.