Chicago Cubs Top Pitching Prospect Shut Down After Injury Diagnosis

The Chicago Cubs will be without their No. 1 pitching prospect for at least a month after a diagnosis for his recent injury.

Cade Horton sits during a warmup at Four Winds Feild on June 22, 2023. / MATTIE NERETIN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Cade Horton, who is considered one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, will miss at least a month after the Chicago Cubs hurler was diagnosed with a right lat strain, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The 22-year-old right-hander will miss anywhere from 3-4 weeks as he recovers, and then will need time to build up to return to starting at Triple-A Iowa, where he was assigned earlier this season after a strong start at Double-A Tennessee.

The Cubs put Horton on their 7-day injured list after he suffered the injury in his last start.

This is the first significant injury setback of Horton’s professional career.

Chicago selected Horton in the first round (No. 9 overall) of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Oklahoma, after he helped the Sooners reach the Men’s College World Series. He did not pitch professionally in 2022.

But, in the nearly two years since his selection, he has rocketed up prospect boards. Per MLB Pipeline, Horton is the Cubs’ No. 1 overall prospect and the No. 17 prospect in baseball. MLB Pipeline projected him as a potential 2024 call-up for Chicago.

Horton started last season with Class-A Myrtle Beach and his success allowed him to move up to High-A South Bend and Double-A Tennessee. Combined he went 4-4 with a 2.65 ERA in 21 starts, striking out 117 and walking 27 in 88.1 innings.

He started this season with Tennessee, where he started four games and went 1-0 with a 1.10 ERA. He struck out 18 and walked two in 16.1 innings, which led the Cubs to promote him to Iowa in late April.

With the Iowa Cubs he went 1-1 with a 7.50 ERA in five starts, as he struck out 22 and walked 11 in 18 innings.

Combined he is 2-1 with a 4.46 ERA in nine starts in 2024, with 40 strikeouts and 13 walks in 34.1 innings.