Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Cade Horton will have season-ending surgery to repair damage to the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, manager Craig Counsell said Tuesday.
The exact procedure, whether it will be a full Tommy John reconstruction or an internal brace repair, won’t be determined until surgeons go into the elbow. Horton visited specialist Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday.
“Cade is gonna have surgery,” Counsell said before Tuesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. “He’s gonna miss the rest of the year.”
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No surgery date has been set.
Horton, 24, was placed on the 15-day injured list Sunday with what the team called a strained forearm. He left in the second inning of Friday’s game in Cleveland after he felt discomfort while throwing a 93.8 mph fastball — a notable decrease after reaching 96 mph in the first inning.
Horton, the No. 7 pick in the 2022 draft who went 11-4 with a 2.67 ERA as a rookie last season, returned to Chicago to see team doctors and had an MRI on Monday. He was 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA and 4 strikeouts in 7⅓ innings over his two starts this season.
The emerging ace has battled injuries throughout his career, including undergoing Tommy John surgery as a freshman at Oklahoma in 2021. He also missed time in 2024 with a shoulder ailment and during last year’s playoffs with a rib injury.
The Cubs handled him carefully last season, limiting his innings and pitch count — especially in the second half. None of that prevented the current injury which serves as a big blow to the team’s chances this year.
Left-hander Matthew Boyd was placed on the injured list Monday with a left biceps strain.
The Cubs have depth at the position to cover the innings, but not necessarily the production as the replacement options don’t have the talent and stuff that Horton possesses.
Those options start with Javier Assad, who was called up to pitch Tuesday, but also extend to Colin Rea, who started 27 games for the Cubs last season.
The Cubs are also awaiting the return of lefty Justin Steele, who underwent elbow surgery last April but should be pitching in minor league games by the end of the month and the majors by Memorial Day.
“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 said. “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.”
ESPN’s Jesse Rogers and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
