Cade Horton exited early Friday with right forearm discomfort, and the Cubs quickly made a major injury announcement after the sudden in-game scare. The right-handed Horton, last year’s National League Rookie of the Year runner-up, exited the game in Cleveland after throwing just 17 pitches. The news that follows his scheduled imaging this weekend could be far grimmer than the club is letting on right now.
Just hours after the game, a 4-1 defeat to the Guardians, the Cubs announced that Horton was immediately headed for the 15-day injured list, and back to Chicago for imaging on his right arm, according to Cubs correspondent Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic.
“Early talk has some optimism,” Sharma reported. “Horton said it started in his wrist then got tight in his forearm, so he wanted to be proactive and not push it.”
How Did Horton Describe His Injury?
The 24-year-old Horton left Friday’s start against the Guardians in the second inning, calling for the trainer after a fastball to Bo Naylor that clocked in at just 93.8 mph. That was the red flag. Per MLB.com, Horton had been sitting 95.5 to 96.5 mph in the first inning â meaning his velocity fell off in real time. The Cubs officially described the injury to their 2022 first-round draft pick as right forearm discomfort.
Horton himself described what he felt in postgame comments. “I had some tightness in my wrist and as the game went on, it went into my forearm,” he told reporters. “I wanted to err on the cautious side and not hurt anything else. I just wanted to be smart about it and make a smart decision.”
He also said he was “pretty hopeful” â but acknowledged he’d been in this spot before and chose to keep going, only for things to get worse.
Making the scene more alarming: per Yahoo Sports, one reporter noted Horton had “tears in his eyes” as he headed to the clubhouse.
Counsell Confirms IL Stint
Manager Craig Counsell got straight to the point in his postgame comments, as quoted by ESPN.
“You take a pitcher out of the game in the second inning, you’re concerned. He’ll probably get imaging, and that’s concerning, as well. We’ve got to see what we’ve got here,” the Cubs skipper said. “It’s going to be an IL stint, but let’s get more info before we get too far.”
Horton will be placed on the 15-day injured list and is returning to Chicago to undergo imaging Sunday or early Monday, according to MLB Trade Rumors’ Steve Adams. The Cubs will know more once the results come back.
The concern hanging over all of this is obvious. As Sports Illustrated noted, forearm injuries in pitchers are inherently ominous â they can signal elbow damage, and in a worst case, Tommy John surgery, which would cost Horton the rest of 2026 and potentially at least the start of his 2027 season as well.
Cubs Already Thin at the Top of the Rotation Without Horton
The timing couldn’t be worse for Chicago. Horton was the de facto Cubs ace this season while Justin Steele continues recovering from UCL surgery. MLB Trade Rumors noted that Steele, Jordan Wicks, and now Horton are all on the injured list, leaving the rotation depleted to say the least. Horton finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2025 after posting a 2.67 ERA in 118 innings, including a remarkable 1.03 ERA over 12 second-half starts before a rib fracture ended his season.
He was electric in his 2026 debut just one week ago against the Nationals â six-plus innings, two runs, four strikeouts â and looked set to build on that in Cleveland before things fell apart in the second inning.
As for who fills in, the Chicago Sun-Times reports the Cubs have options: Colin Rea, who stepped in Friday and threw 3⅓ solid innings, could take a rotation spot; Ben Brown is stretched out; and Javier Assad is at Triple-A Iowa. None of them, though, are at Horton’s level. With Horton headed for imaging and the rotation suddenly in flux, the 3-4 Cubs may not be done making moves â and what comes next could have immediate implications for the staff, and the NL Central pennant race.
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