Cubs rookie Cade Horton checked all the boxes this weekend in his MLB debut

Amidst a rocky weekend for the Chicago Cubs in New York, heralded top pitching prospect Cade Horton played a key role for the team in Saturday's 6-5 win over the New York Mets, looking sharp out of the bullpen, setting the stage for him to claim a rotation spot moving forward.

Horton took the ball in the second inning of Saturday's contest in Queens, and the 23-year-old looked like a grizzled veteran on the mound. The right-hander completed four innings, struck out five batters, and only allowed three earned runs on four hits against a strong Mets lineup in a hostile environment at Citi Field.

Horton's fastball touched 97 MPH at times, and he was able to set down some of the best hitters in the game, including future Hall of Famer Juan Soto. The highest-paid player in MLB was fooled on a changeup in the fifth inning, which was the first time Horton threw the pitch all night. After the game, catcher MIguel Amaya told the media that he originally called a different pitch, but Horton shook him off and insisted on throwing the changeup, resulting in him striking out Soto.

Horton also didn't let Brett Baty's three-run homer get to his head. After that home run, the right-hander settled in to retire four of the next five batters he faced to set himself up for the win. The rookie looked comfortable and confident on the mound, as 49 of his 77 pitches were strikes. As a first-round draft pick for the Cubs in 2022, Horton is morphing into one of the most important players in the organization, and Chicago may have a legit homegrown starting pitcher on its hands.

Will Cade Horton stay in Chicago?

After the outing, it seems likely that Horton will remain on the team for the next few weeks until Shota Imanga returns from the injured list. Imanaga was diagnosed with a grade-1 hamstring strain last week, and he will likely be out until early June.

Until then, Horton looks ready to hold down Imanaga's rotation spot in his absence, since there aren't many other options available for the Cubs. If he continues to pitch well, Horton might even stick around past Imanaga's return to the team. If he can handle a big-league lineup and prove that he can make it past the fifth inning on a regular basis, there's no point keeping Horton in Triple-A where he has dominated this year.

Assuming he slots into the rotation this week, his first start could come on Friday against the Chicago White Sox at Wrigley Field.