Cubs Insider Hints Nightmare Injury Update For Rookie Cade Horton May Be Coming

The Chicago Cubs are days away from playing in their first playoff game in five years after having clinched their Wild Card spot and headed into October with the goal of a deep run in mind.

For a team who has had some ugly luck with injuries this year, it seemed the Cubs were on the cusp entering this month as being back to full health. While Kyle Tucker's calf changed that, the slugger appears to be on the cusp of returning back to the lineup.

As for pitching, things have largely been carried this year by rookie sensation Cade Horton. In his last start though this week, the right-hander was pulled after just 29 pitches with what Chicago described after the game as an illness impacting his breathing.

Horton shed a bit more light, telling media that everything was tight because he was struggling with breath, and Craig Counsell made it sound like a respiratory issue and said he had been coughing a lot.

Horton Updates From Cubs Have Only Gotten Worse

Cade Horton of Chicago Cubs — Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Then, the team announced yesterday he was undergoing an MRI, a concerning development if he was just coughing. On Thursday afternoon, the buzz across social media was not good, but Jesse Rogers of ESPN has sent fans into a tailspin with a reply to a tweet.

the chatter def isn't positive. I can say that. But not reporting anything yet
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) September 25, 2025

While there has been no official report or confirmation from the team, someone as in the know as Rogers writing that the chatter is not sounding positive reads like a complete and utter nightmare. Horton would likely be in line to start Game 1 of the Wild Card round, but now rumors are swirling of him potentially being shut down entirely.

Should things actually play out that way, Chicago would instantly be in some tremendous trouble as they prepare for what will be a difficult matchup right out of the gate.

Horton Has Practically Carried Cubs Pitching Staff Solo Over Second Half

Cade Horton — Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

Over the 24-year-old's 12 starts since the All-Star break, he has pitched to a 1.03 ERA and 0.78 WHIP with a scorching 8-1 record to go alongside 54 strikeouts to just 15 walks in 61.1 innings pitched. In that same period, Horton allowed a staggering opposing batting average of just .154, completely carving up opposing hitters

Finding his footing and starting to dominate, Horton has shown all the makings of not just a legitimate future ace, but also someone who is capable of carrying the load as a rookie. For a staff that has dealt all year with injuries and inconsistency, he has been an absolute fixture and someone Chicago would not be in nearly the same place without.

If he does actually wind up being shut down, it changes the outlook of what the Cubs are actually capable of in October perhaps more so than any one singular player on this team's absence would.

As fans wait desperately for a Horton update, they had better hold their breath and knock on wood, because him being out would be for this Chicago team an absolute disaster.

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