The Chicago Cubs had to discuss making a difficult decision before their three-game series against the New York Mets this weekend. Following a two-game slide to the San Francisco Giants on Thursday, Cubs manager Craig Counsell said he still needed to pencil in a starting pitcher for Saturday.
Shota Imanaga would have been Chicago’s starting pitcher for Saturday. However, he was placed on the injured list this week due to a hamstring injury he suffered during Sunday night’s 4-0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.
One potential solution for the Cubs was Cade Horton. The No. 7 pick in the 2022 draft has a 1.24 ERA in his six starts in Triple-A in 2025.
Chicago Cubs make their decision on Cade Horton
Per Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register, the Cubs are calling up Horton before their series against the Mets.
“The way Iowa Cubs pitcher Cade Horton has been throwing, it seemed like only a matter of time before he got his shot to pitch in the big leagues,” Burch wrote. The time appears to have arrived. Horton, following a strong start to the season, is expected to join the Chicago Cubs for their road trip to New York this weekend, a source with direct knowledge of the situation told the Register.
“The 23-year-old hard-throwing right-hander has been dominant with Triple-A Iowa, going 2-1 with a 1.24 ERA and 0.86 WHIP with 33 strikeouts across 29 innings.”
The Cubs’ “toughest” decision of 2025
Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune explained why the decision to call up Horton was difficult. The Cubs are asking him to make an early start in the majors. Sullivan thinks it’s the “toughest” decision Chicago will make this season.
“It makes perfect sense to keep Horton in Iowa a while longer to continue his development after he missed most of 2024 with a shoulder injury,” Sullivan wrote. “But this is not a perfect world.
“Having already shown a sense of urgency with his previous roster moves, bringing Horton up in early May to replace the injured Shota Imanaga on Saturday against the New York Mets would be in line with Hoyer’s early-season aggressiveness in what could be a make-or-break season for the longtime Cubs executive.
New York will be a tough challenge for Horton. The Mets are in first place in the NL East with a 24-14 record. New York is tied with the Miami Marlins for the best batting average and are tied with the Cincinnati Reds for the ninth-most runs in 2025.
Hope he’s ready.
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