Cubs ace Cade Horton headed for elbow surgery, will miss the rest of the 2026 season
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Chicago Cubs pitcher Cade Horton will miss the rest of the 2026 season after an MRI revealed UCL damage in his right elbow, Chicago manager Craig Counsell said Tuesday.
“Cade is gonna have surgery,” Counsell said before the Cubs game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. “He’s gonna miss the rest of the year. ” The exact procedure, whether it will be a full Tommy John reconstruction or an internal brace repair, won’t be determined until surgeons go into the elbow.
Horton visited renowned elbow specialist Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday. No surgery date has been set.
The announcement confirms what Cubs fans feared when Horton walked off the mound in Cleveland on April 3, after just 17 pitches. His velocity had dropped from 96 mph in the first inning to 93. 8 mph on his final pitch before he waved toward the dugout.
It will be the 24-year-old right-hander’s second elbow reconstruction surgery. He had Tommy John surgery as a freshman at Oklahoma in 2021. He was the No.