Cubs lose Cade Horton for year as starting pitcher will undergo season-ending elbow surgery

Cade Horton is done for the year.

The burgeoning Chicago Cubs starting pitcher is set to undergo season-ending elbow surgery, manager Craig Counsell announced Tuesday.

Horton, the runner-up for the 2025 NL Rookie of the Year award, dazzled during his first start of the 2026 campaign, allowing just two runs and one walk over 6 1/3 innings against the Washington Nationals on March 28.

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About a week later, on April 3, the right-handed hurler suffered a second-inning exit versus the Cleveland Guardians. That’s when Horton’s velocity dropped. He called for a trainer and then left the game with what was later described as a forearm strain.

Counsell didn’t specify what procedure Horton will have, and the second-year Cubs skipper said a date for the operation hasn’t been set yet, according to MLB.com.

This story is being updated.