Cade Horton is the latest Cubs starting pitcher to land on the injury list this season. The National League Rookie of the Year runner-up will be undergoing surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, forcing him to miss the rest of the 2026 season.
Horton exited Saturday’s 1–0 Chicago win over the Guardians in the second inning after dealing with right forearm discomfort. On Sunday, it was announced he’d be landing on the 15-day IL. Two days later, manager Craig Counsell confirmed that Horton would be undergoing season-ending surgery.
Horton completed one solid start before being done for the year. He started on March 28 against the Nationals, recording four strikeouts, four hits, two earned runs and one home run across 6.1 innings. The Cubs still won 10–2.
The loss of their star young pitcher puts the Cubs in more unfortunate territory early into the 2026 season. Their pitching staff has been bitten by the injury bug in the last two seasons, that's for sure.
Injured Cubs starting pitchers
Horton is one of three starting pitchers on the Cubs staff now out with injury. Justin Steele remains out after he underwent elbow surgery last April. He’s expected to make his 2026 debut in the first half of the season, but his return date is unknown at this time. Chicago scrambled to fill in the gap Steele left behind last season, and that’s when Horton really showed out for his team as a rookie.
Ace Matthew Boyd, who earned the Cubs' Opening Day start, was just placed on the 15-day IL on Monday with a left biceps strain, cementing an unlucky week for Chicago. Boyd shared that he didn’t have much pain, but wanted to get his injury figured out before it could potentially get worse while it’s still early in the season. The IL placement seems more for longevity this season. Additionally, the 35-year-old has a lengthy injury history across 12 MLB seasons, so the IL placement is also for precautionary reasons at this point.
Boyd earned his first All-Star bid last season, which he finished with a 3.21 ERA over 179 2/3 innings pitched, the most since 2019 for him.
Boyd’s most recent start was on April 1 against the Angels. He recorded 10 strikeouts, two hits and one earned run across 5.2 innings pitched. He’s expected to make his return to the mound in the coming weeks.
Pitching replacements for Boyd, Horton
The Cubs already expected Steele to be out at this point of the season, but the Horton and Boyd absences weren’t planned. In their places, Chicago called up Javier Assad from Triple-A Iowa and promoted Colin Rea from the bullpen to start.
Rea started 27 games for the Cubs last season, but wasn’t listed on the team’s initial list of starting five pitchers. That list instead included Boyd, Horton, Shota Imanaga, Edward Cabrera and Jameson Taillon. Rea will return to that rotation with Horton now out, but will likely fall back to being a relief pitcher once Steele makes his return to the mound.
Assad started in seven games for the Cubs last season, and 29 the year prior. In two starts for the Iowa Cubs, Assad’s given up 14 hits, seven earned runs and two homers against seven strikeouts to give him a 9.00 ERA. It wasn’t the best start of the season for him in Triple-A, but hopefully he can improve on the mound when returning to Chicago. In 37 innings pitched in Chicago last season, Assad recorded 23 strikeouts, 33 hits and 15 earned runs for a 3.65 ERA.
Cubs’ updated starting rotation with Boyd, Horton out
Imanaga, Cabrera, Taillon, Rea and Assad now round out the Cubs’ starting rotation amid the team’s injury spell.
In two starts, Imanaga’s pitched 10 innings, throwing 11 strikeouts, while giving up nine hits and five earned runs. The 2024 All-Star has a 4.50 ERA to start the season.
Cabrera is new to Chicago this year after he was traded from the Marlins in January. The Cubs were eyeing a big pitching trade this offseason, and Cabrera was their answer. Through two starts so far, Cabrera’s recorded nine strikeouts against two hits and zero earned runs across 11.2 innings pitched (the most by a Cub so far). His 0.00 ERA is the best amongst the Cubs’ starting pitchers. He’s definitely stood out on the mound early into the 2026 season.
Taillon is the longest-tenured starting pitcher to return to Chicago as he’s been a staple for the Cubs since 2023. Through two starts and 10.2 innings pitched, Taillon’s put up seven strikeouts against nine hits and three earned runs for a 2.53 ERA so far. He earned the last spot in the starting rotation ahead of Opening Day after he posted a 17.55 ERA during Spring Training across just 13.1 innings pitched. He additionally gave up 23 home runs in that span—yikes. He’ll be looking to rebound this season so he keeps a spot on the starting rotation.
Free agent pitchers the Cubs could look into
If the Cubs’ current starting rotation doesn’t pan out soon, then the organization could shift its focus to looking for a free agent pitcher to sign. Sports Illustrated’s Karl Rasmussen recently laid out three options for playoff contender teams, like the Cubs, to look out for.
Lucas Giolito is coming off a 3.41 ERA season with the Red Sox, in which he also recorded 121 strikeouts and 56 walks. Frankie Montas only pitched in nine games for the Mets last season, but he could be another viable option for the Cubs if they’re wanting a veteran starter to fill in some gaps. Tyler Anderson finished with a 1.9 WAR across 26 starts for the Angels last season, but didn’t find a new home this offseason.
Could Chicago snatch up any three of these guys? We’ll see how the current starting rotation does. There’s a good chance Chicago won’t re-evaluate until at least Boyd returns from IL.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Cubs' Updated Starting Pitching Rotation After Cade Horton Injury.
