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    Oh No: Cade Horton Leaves in 2nd Inning of Cubs Game Against Guardians

    Arguably, the best reason to believe the 2026 Cubs can overcome the Milwaukee Brewers to win the NL Central—and, indeed, to make a deep run in October—is the presence of Cade Horton at the top of their rotation. On Friday, Horton felt something and left his start abruptly. Yikes.
    Matthew Trueblood

    By Matthew Trueblood

    Image courtesy of © Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

    Cubs Video

    The Cubs amassed pretty good starting rotation depth this winter, all things considered. They entered the season with a fully healthy group of five: Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, Shota Imanaga, Edward Cabreras and Jameson Taillon. Behind them, as depth, the team has Colin Rea and Ben Brown in the big-league bullpen and Javier Assad waiting in the Triple-A Iowa rotation. You can't be much better-positioned to withstand an injury than that, in the modern game, especially given that the team will get Justin Steele back after his 2025 Tommy John surgery, sometime this summer.

    Take the best arm out of any pitching staff, though, and it looks a lot weaker, immediately. That might be what the Cubs are facing now. On Friday, Cade Horton departed in the middle of an at-bat in the bottom of the second inning, feeling obvious discomfort and calling the trainer to the mound before leaving. His fastball velocity nosed down sharply immediately before he left, too.

    We'll update when we know more about what's happening, but it's not too early to harbor deep concerns here. Should Horton miss significant time, the Cubs would be without their ace and the rest of the rotation would immediately seem stretched and strained—just as they were around this time last year, when they lost Steele.

    UPDATE: If you were hoping the issue was a simple blister or that Horton was dealing with a lingering cold or flu, you'll have to let that hope go. The issue is in his forearm, the team announced.

     

    Now, the question is of severity. A trip to the injured list is virtually guaranteed, any time a pitcher leaves a game with a forearm problem. Presumably, Horton will be sent for imaging, and much of the Cubs' upside for this season will hinge on the outcome thereof.

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    Featured Comments

    Tangled Up in Plaid

    Tangled Up in Plaid 409

    Posted

    Just now, cl smooth said:

    cool, see you in next year's game threads! 

    We can only hope

    • Haha 2
    Papa Cub

    Papa Cub 17

    Posted

    1 minute ago, cl smooth said:

    cool, see you in next year's game threads! 

    I’ll check back in in late September to see how you are doing and see if my assessment of this team is correct 👍 

    Andy

    Andy 577

    Posted

    Could've really used something to feel good about after Horton injury but I guess that isn't happening.

    squally1313

    squally1313 2,225

    Posted

    Man, last year he at least waited until August before writing off a 92 win team. These are just facts guys. 
     

    image.thumb.png.d6853dc35b06d51fafd71c5f7ee5ab13.png

    • Like 1
    UMFan83

    UMFan83 3,015

    Posted

    The Cubs haven’t recovered from a 3-4 start to make the playoffs since all the way back in…2025

    • Like 2
    Tangled Up in Plaid

    Tangled Up in Plaid 409

    Posted

    3 minutes ago, squally1313 said:

    Man, last year he at least waited until August before writing off a 92 win team. These are just facts guys. 
     

    image.thumb.png.d6853dc35b06d51fafd71c5f7ee5ab13.png

    I'm sure he did it before that, he only ever shows up when things are going bad

    Papa Cub

    Papa Cub 17

    Posted

    4 minutes ago, squally1313 said:

    Man, last year he at least waited until August before writing off a 92 win team. These are just facts guys. 
     

    image.thumb.png.d6853dc35b06d51fafd71c5f7ee5ab13.png

    It’s cool that I lived in your mind rent free for almost an entire year bro - pretty sad actually 

     

    quite sad 

    • Disagree 1
    Papa Cub

    Papa Cub 17

    Posted

    1 minute ago, Tangled Up in Plaid said:

    I'm sure he did it before that, he only ever shows up when things are going bad

    Nah - I watch ignorant comments from you from afar. It’s enjoyable. Glad I left a memorable impression 

    Irrelevant Dude

    Irrelevant Dude 1,546

    Posted

    Even in the best case scenario where Horton is ok, this still sucks because now he'll be handled with kid gloves for the rest of the season rather than ramping up to being a full season ace.  And the worst case, well, Cabrera sure better stay healthy.

    Tangled Up in Plaid

    Tangled Up in Plaid 409

    Posted

    2 minutes ago, Irrelevant Dude said:

    Even in the best case scenario where Horton is ok, this still sucks because now he'll be handled with kid gloves for the rest of the season rather than ramping up to being a full season ace.  And the worst case, well, Cabrera sure better stay healthy.

    yeah, mooney just had an article about how he never threw 100 pitches last year and they were ready to unleash him. Oof

    chibears55

    chibears55 798

    Posted

    Happ 14 Ks in 31 AB this season 

    🙄

    Cubs420psd

    Cubs420psd 84

    Posted (edited)

    There is no unleashing Cade Horton. The kid is made of glass. He will have to be agonizingly babied his whole career.

     

     

    Edited by Cubs420psd
    • Disagree 1
    Cubs420psd

    Cubs420psd 84

    Posted

    25 minutes ago, UMFan83 said:

    The Cubs haven’t recovered from a 3-4 start to make the playoffs since all the way back in…2025

    Season is far from over, obviously, but I can't say I love the outlook.

     

    Major part of the Cub success last year was their first half. Alot of that success came from having a top 10 player in all of baseball through June ( Tucker) and getting an unreal first half from PCA. Either these things aren't happening again. Now add in Horton is probably out for a long time? I dont have the warm and fuzzies.

     

     

    Bobson Dugnutt

    Bobson Dugnutt 1,087

    Posted

    1 hour ago, cl smooth said:

    having an erection for more than 4 hours would make anyone have tears in their eyes. 

    was it a hoerner boner

    • Haha 1
    imb

    imb 3,544

    Posted

    quickest way around the bad word filter 

     

    • Like 1
    • Haha 2
    javy knows my name

    javy knows my name 846

    Posted

    59 minutes ago, Papa Cub said:

    I’ll check back in in late September to see how you are doing and see if my assessment of this team is correct 👍 

    Feel no obligation to check back

    chibears55

    chibears55 798

    Posted

    10 minutes ago, ILMindState said:

     

    MLB pitchers experiencing wrist and forearm discomfort are often suffering from flexor-pronator mass strain or tendonitis, frequently caused by overuse or improper mechanics. This soreness, sometimes described as "forearm shin splints," indicates a need for immediate rest, workload reduction, and potential examination to rule out serious injuries like UCL damage or ulnar nerve irritation. 

    Post Count Padder

    Post Count Padder 195

    Posted

    On the plus side, this is basically how last season started and it worked out......kinda. 

    Glad we have some depth (not sarcasm). Assad/Rea will fill in, maybe Wiggins gets a look, Steele is back in a month. Hopefully it's not a huge issue beyond a few weeks on the IL.

    JHBulls

    JHBulls 856

    Posted

    I can see what the Cubs are going for this year. Last year they were the best offence in baseball for half the season, before scuffling down the stretch. This year they are going to scuffle for half the season, before smashing everything down the stretch. 
     

    The payoff will be winning the World Series. 

    We Got The Whole 9

    We Got The Whole 9 1,144

    Posted

    They are just chasing way too much and hitting nothing squarely. 

     

    Shaw has me quite worried. I did not expect his discipline to be so bad and he has hardly any hard contact. 

     

    The offense has been ugly and bailed out by a lot of no man's land popups. 

    • Like 1
    Rcal10

    Rcal10 1,541

    Posted (edited)

    I am concerned, but it is just too early for hot takes. There are going to be many 7 game stretches for every team in baseball where they go 3-4. It honestly isn’t a big deal. Yes, it sucks not to get off to a good start. But if you thought the team was a 90 win team before the year started, 3-4 over 7 games shouldn’t change your opinion. Horton getting hurt, OTOH, is a big loss, if he misses significant time(which he very well might). That said, they do have depth. Put Rea in the rotation and bring up whoever is doing the best in Iowa’s pen. If Horton only misses 5 starts they should be fine. If he is out long term they better hope Steele comes back looking good and they don’t get other injuries of significance. Let papacub have his hot take. Honestly, who cares what he thinks. 

    Edited by Rcal10
    • Love 1
    Bertz

    Bertz 2,652

    Posted

    1 hour ago, ILMindState said:

     

    The wrist thing has me hopeful this is legitimately a forearm injury and not an elbow injury in disguise. 🤞



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