Cubs ace Cade Horton headed for elbow surgery, will miss the rest of the
2026 season
[April 08, 2026]
By KRISTIE ACKERT
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Chicago Cubs pitcher Cade
Horton will miss the rest of the 2026 season after an MRI revealed UCL
damage in his right elbow, Chicago manager Craig Counsell said Tuesday.
“Cade is gonna have surgery,” Counsell said before the Cubs game against
the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. “He’s gonna miss the rest of the
year.” |
Chicago Cubs' Cade Horton pitches in the first inning of a baseball game
against the Cleveland Guardians in Cleveland, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP
Photo/Sue Ogrocki) |
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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 renowned elbow
specialist Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday.
No surgery date has been set.
The announcement confirms what Cubs fans feared when Horton
walked off the mound in Cleveland on April 3, after just 17
pitches. His velocity had dropped from 96 mph in the first
inning to 93.8 mph on his final pitch before he waved toward the
dugout.
It will be the 24-year-old right-hander’s second elbow
reconstruction surgery. He had Tommy John surgery as a freshman
at Oklahoma in 2021. He was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2022
draft and broke through in the majors last season with an 11-4
record and a 2.67 ERA in 118 innings. He finished second in NL
Rookie of the Year voting. In his 2026 debut, Horton held
Washington to two runs in 6 1/3 innings just one week before the
injury.
The blow is particularly tough because the Cubs are already
without ace Justin Steele, who is recovering from his own UCL
surgery and is not expected back until late May at the earliest.
With Matthew Boyd also on the injured list, the Cubs will lean
on Colin Rea and Javier Assad in the rotation. Rea stepped up in
a similar role last season, posting a 3.95 ERA across 27 starts
after Steele went down.
“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.”
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