The Chicago Cubs (22-16) are feeling a crunch on Thursday, coming off a series where the San Francisco Giants stole two of three games at Wrigley Field this week. The Cubs are traveling to play a 24-14 New York Mets team in first place in the NL East for a three-game series starting on Friday.
Chicago will be without Shota Imanaga for Saturday’s matchup after he was placed on the 15-day injured list earlier this week for a mild hamstring strain he suffered in the Cubs’ 4-0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday.
The Chicago Cubs are unsure for Saturday
During his postgame press conference on Wednesday, Cubs manager Craig Counsell admitted the team did not have a starting pitcher penciled in for Saturday. He said Chicago would discuss how to attack their rotation problem, which includes Justin Steele being out for the season due to an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery.
One of the potential remedies for the Cubs is to call up Cade Horton from Iowa. Horton has been solid in Triple-A, posting an ERA of 1.24 in six outings.
Cubs’ decision on Cade Horton the “toughest” of the season
Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune believes the Cubs are deciding whether to call up Horting for their series against the Mets and called the decision Chicago’s “toughest” of the 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.
“Cubs fans obviously want to see Horton, perhaps the organization’s most highly touted pitching prospect since Mark Prior made his debut in 2002. Hoyer and manager Craig Counsell seem reluctant to show their cards, making the decision seem that much more important.”
Horton, a right-handed pitcher from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was drafted by the Cubs as the No. 7 pick in the 2022 draft. At 23, he’s shown promise for the Cubs in Triple-A.
Asking Horton to come in and fill Imanaga’s shoes on the road against the Mets would be an enormous ask from the front office and coaching staff.
The Mets are tied with the Miami Marlins for the best batting average and are tied with the Cincinnati Reds for the ninth-most runs in 2025.
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