Cubs’ Horton to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery

Posted April 07, 2026 6:01 pm

By Sahadev Sharma

ST PETERSBURG — After seeing multiple doctors, it was determined Cubs righty Cade Horton will undergo season-ending elbow surgery. The 24-year-old made just two starts in 2026 before having his campaign end.

“I feel for Cade,” manager Craig Counsell said. “Things get thrown in front of you that are big. To have to process a day like today for Cade is really hard, because you start to look at what’s ahead of you and there’s days of some monotonous work ahead of you. It makes you cherish the good days that you have and understand that you don’t get all good days. This certainly isn’t one of them for Cade.”

Exactly what type of procedure Horton will undergo and the timeline for his return have yet to be determined. Either way, he won’t return until 2027 at the earliest.

“He’s going to have surgery, we don’t have a date for that quite yet,” general manager Carter Hawkins said. “In terms exactly what the surgery will be, it’ll be on his elbow, it’ll be around his UCL. Whether it’s revision, reconstruction, internal brace, all those different things — once you get into the surgery, that’s when those decisions are made more often.”

After a brilliant rookie season in which he posted a 2.67 ERA, Horton was viewed as a big piece for a Cubs team that has World Series aspirations. Instead, the right-hander exited after just 17 pitches in last Friday’s outing against the Cleveland Guardians. Despite a slight bit of optimism because the pain emanated from his wrist into his forearm, there was still some immediate concern.

Horton was sent back to Chicago and received an initial diagnosis from team physician Dr. Stephen Gryzlo on Monday, then had the bad news confirmed on Tuesday morning when he saw Dr. Keith Meister in Texas.

Counsell said he spoke to Horton after his appointment, and while he was disappointed, Horton seemed ready to get after this next challenge.

“The fun thing we get to do is compete” Counsell said. “The other stuff, all the preparation to compete is part of the grind of the job. But now you have to do the grind of the job without the fun. In a lot of ways Cade is wired to be successful here because that’s just who is. And he will be successful. We’re going to miss him this year, but know he’ll be back as strong as ever.”

Over the last year-plus, the Cubs had been cautious with how they handled Horton, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2021. After a stellar performance in the 2022 College World Series, the Cubs selected him with the No. 7 pick in the MLB Draft. Horton broke out the next season, becoming one of baseball’s top pitching prospects.

He was sidelined again in 2024, with a shoulder injury limiting him to just 34 1/3 innings. The Cubs were incredibly careful in building Horton up for the 2025 season, focusing on cleaning up his delivery to ensure he’d regain his velocity and also not strain his arm. After his call-up in May, the club then limited his pitch count over the summer as he progressed deeper into the season.

Horton was excited to be unleashed this summer and felt that his body was ready for the challenge. Then the unexpected occurred.

“No one was expected it,” Hawkins said. “Sometimes, behind the scenes, guys are barking a little bit, they’re not recovering well or whatever. This was not that case. It makes it even more difficult to accept because it’s so sudden. But moving forward, we think about ways to help the team stay on track. It’s a loss, for sure, but it’s nothing we haven’t dealt with before.”

Horton’s injury isn’t the only hit the Cubs have taken to their rotation early this season. On Monday, Matthew Boyd was placed on the 15-day IL with a left biceps strain. Boyd’s injury is considered minor and he’s expected to return to the mound once eligible. Javier Assad will start on Tuesday in Boyd’s place, and Colin Rea, who relieved Horton on Friday, is expected to take the bulk of his innings.