CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs placed Cade Horton on the 15-day injured list on Saturday, sidelining the right-hander for their first-round playoff series against San Diego.
Horton, one of the leading contenders for NL Rookie of the Year, has a right rib fracture. The IL move was made retroactive to Thursday.
The loss of Horton is a big blow for Chicago going into its first postseason appearance since 2020. The 24-year-old Horton, a first-round pick in the 2022 amateur draft, is 8-1 with a sparkling 1.03 ERA in 12 starts since the All-Star break.
Horton threw on the field before the Cubs’ 7-3 victory over St. Louis on Saturday. He was slated to throw a bullpen session Sunday before the IL move was announced.
Horton pitched three innings against the New York Mets on Tuesday before departing because of back tightness. He was sick after his previous start and was coughing, leading to issues with his back and ribs, manager Craig Counsell said.
Horton is 11-4 with a 2.67 ERA in 22 starts and one relief appearance.
President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said the Cubs received Horton’s diagnosis on Wednesday, but Horton wanted to try to continue to pitch.
Horton then felt discomfort and had difficulty getting extension when he threw Saturday.
“We wanted to give him a chance, but it was clear after today that it wasn’t going to be possible,” Counsell said.
Hoyer said he wasn’t sure when exactly Horton will return.
“Cade really wanted to pitch, he felt like he could do it,” Hoyer said. “He’s a tough kid.”
Chicago (91-70) clinched the top NL wild card with Saturday’s win over St. Louis. The Cubs will host San Diego in Game 1 of their best-of-three playoff series on Tuesday.
Left-handers Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga and right-handers Jameson Taillon and Colin Rea are the top options for the team’s postseason rotation.
“It’s a blow, there’s no question about it,” Counsell said. “That’s unfortunate. It means other guys are going to get an opportunity and other people are going to have a chance to impact the game and have success.”
In a corresponding move, the Cubs recalled left-hander Jordan Wicks from Triple-A Iowa. Wicks is 0-1 with a 7.94 ERA in seven appearances with Chicago this season.
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